Simone Biles Single-Handedly Doubles Sha’Carri Richardson-Featuring Netflix Docuseries Sprint’s Viewership

From gymnastics to swimming, track and field, and more, Team USA is set to snag gold right from the heart of France—just three days to go for the Paris Olympics! Among the big names are Sha’Carri Richardson and Simone Biles, the reigning world champions in their fields; both carry hopes for redemption and a shiny gold medal. While a friendly competition between these two could become the apogee of any tournament, it seems like the gymnast is already pulling ahead in other domains.

Comparing gymnastics with track and field is like comparing apples and oranges. Still, if it were a medal race, Simone Biles, with her 37 Olympic and World Championship medals, would outshine Sha’Carri Richardson by leaps and bounds. But Simone isn’t just ruling the gymnastics floor; she’s also ruling the streaming charts of Netflix over the 3x World Championship medalist Sha’Carri Richardson and her SPRINT compadres!

Simone Biles outpaces Sha’Carri Richarson, and the track and field giants

According to the latest statistics released by Netflix, Simone Biles’ new Netflix docu-series RISING can be seen in the third spot with a fantastic 4.7 million views. On the other hand, the track and field documentary featuring the likes of Sha’Carri Richardson and Noah Lyles isn’t even in the Top 10. Both these series were released in July, with SPRINT being the first to see the light of day (July 2). However, the RISING seems to have gained more traction than the other.

A week after its release, on July 10, Richardson’s documentary was reported to be the sixth most-viewed series on Netflix with 2.4 million views. Considering Simone’s documentary dropped just a week ago on July 17, it’s clear she’s already the crowd favorite before the Paris Olympics kick off. With a whopping 5.9 million more views than SPRINT, she’s sprinting ahead of her younger rivals in the popularity race!

While RISING zooms in on Simone Biles’ epic comeback to the top of her game, SPRINT is more of a star-studded ensemble where Sha’Carri Richardson’s story isn’t the main focus. Instead, it’s all about the thrilling chase for 100-meter gold in Paris. And even though Simone’s smashing it on Netflix with a huge lead in views, both athletes are hitting their strides and hoping for a plot twist of their own at the Paris Games!

Hoping the dark cloud of their past will have a gold lining at Paris 2024

The Tokyo Games were a disastrous tournament for both Netflix star athletes. While Simone had to pull out of the finals because of her mental troubles caused by the “Twisties,”  Richardson was barred from participating in the 2020 Olympics altogether because of failing the drug test. Ever since then, these two have made it their mission to nab the top spot in their own fields. Biles returned to action in 2023 at the US Classic, where she won the individual all-round gold with 59.100 points, and hasn’t looked back since.

At this year’s Core Hydration Classic, Xfinity US Gymnastics Championships, and even the US Olympic Team Trials, Biles has consistently clinched the top spot with stellar performances and earned her ticket to Paris. However, the most decorated US female gymnast of all time isn’t the only one keen on hauling hardware on the banks of the Seine.

On the flip side, Sha’Carri Richardson had a bit of a slow start after her 2021 suspension, but she made a major comeback in 2024. At Hayward Field, Eugene, last month, she wasted no time proving her worth for the Paris Games, clocking a jaw-dropping 10.71 seconds to take the world lead in the women’s 100m.

With that blazing time, she outpaced heavyweights globally in 2024 like Julien Alfred, Shericka Jackson, and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, living up to her mantra, “I’m not back, I’m better.” In light of their pursuit, maybe Simone’s Netflix victory will be irrelevant when both the sprinter and the gymnast head home with medals around their necks. What are your thoughts on their comeback journeys to the Paris Olympics? Share your prediction with us in the comments!