“Team USA’s gymnastics team for the women is likely the most difficult team to make in terms of all Olympic sports,” remarked USA Gymnastics President Li Li Leung. Despite this formidable challenge, Simone Biles has persevered following her heartbreaking withdrawal from the Tokyo Olympics three years ago. Over the past year, she has achieved remarkable milestones, securing her sixth world all-around title and winning her eighth and ninth national championships, setting new records in the process. 

Biles’ qualification for the Paris Olympics 2024 further cements her legacy as one of the greatest athletes in gymnastics history. Dominating the competition at the Target Center in Minneapolis on the final day of June, Biles finished with 117.225 points, well ahead of her nearest competitor, Suni Lee, demonstrating her commitment to excellence. As she prepares to lead Team USA in Paris, Biles and her Tokyo teammates are poised to rewrite the history books with another extraordinary performance.

In a recent press conference after making the 2024 Olympic team, USA Gymnastics shared a video of Simone Biles talking about how this year, Team USA will try to do even better than last time on Instagram. She said, “I think whenever we did interviews earlier, I was like, yeah, this is definitely our redemption tour. I feel like we all have more to give, and our Tokyo performances weren’t the best.” Though Suni Lee won gold in the all-around, beating Brazil, Simone Biles bowed out after experiencing immense stress.

A mental block known as the Twisties caused her to withdraw from the Olympics. Simone added that this time they’re more serious than ever before, “I feel like we have a lot of weight on our shoulders to go out there and prove that we’re better athletes.” They’re more mature, they’re smarter, and they’re more consistent. This is a winning combination. Even Gymnastics Now made a tweet about their excitement for the new team writing, “The Redemption Tour is coming to Paris! 👀 Buckle up, because Simone, Suni, Jade, and Jordan have something to prove… and Hezly’s ready to help them get it done.🥇🇺🇸😉”.

This time though, Simone Biles remains fully locked in on winning Olympic gold once again since Rio and she’s actively trying to work on her mental health as well. Simone has been meeting a therapist weekly, who is also available whenever Biles needs to let off steam. She makes sure to attend those sessions despite having championships and other commitments. After achieving a bronze medal on the balance beam in Tokyo, Simone took a break from her gymnastics career for around two years. 

During this time, she took some rest and even got married to her NFL player, Jonathan Owens. This year, during the trials with JO present in the stands, Biles was phenomenal. Her Yurchenko double-pike vault was so powerful that she had to backpedal a little on the landing. Additionally, though, during her floor exercise, she did step out of bounds by a small step; it earned her the recognition from global pop star Taylor Swift via a tweet. “Watched this so many times and still unready,” Swift said, referring to the ‘Ready for It’ song Simone performed her floor routine on, adding, “She’s ready for it tho.”

Biles will be joined on the Olympic team by reigning Tokyo gold medalist Suni Lee as well as the 2020 Olympic floor exercise champion Jade Carey. 2020 Olympic silver medalist Jordan Chiles and Hezley Rivera are also on the roster. Likewise, Joscelyn Roberson and Leanne Wong are touted as alternates, who will travel to Paris too. This will mark Simone Biles’ 3rd Olympics and she will only be the 4th woman in history to do so. 

Simone Biles: Championing courage and breaking barriers

Needless to say, Simone Biles is a role model for athletes around the world, be it gymnastics or any other sport. Interestingly, she is also the role model of her 2024 teammate and high school junior, Hezly Rivera. Rivera was only 5 when Biles won her first World Championship. When asked in the press conference whether Biles is eager to take Rivera under her wing, Simone joked that she will have to teach Hezly how to drive first. That’s how young she is.

Biles added she knows exactly how it feels to be young and going to the first-ever Olympics, saying, “I know exactly how they are feeling. If I can be a mentor and a guide, that’s what I am going to do to kind of lighten the load.”

Male gymnast Fred Richards, who earned a spot on the Olympic team, discussed how Biles’ comeback is not just strong but dominant. Her ability to beat all younger athletes just speaks volumes about her prowess. He said, “I’ll be cheering her on at the Olympics. We’ll be doing our thing. It’s fun for me to look up to her when I’m younger and now be right by her side and watch her dominate.”

Even Yul Moldauer once spoke about watching the gymnast perform in a previous Olympics in awe. He detailed how Simone Biles performed primarily for herself, and she enjoyed it thoroughly. This brings an element that hard work or practice can not replicate to her performance that shines through. It’s an innate Simone Biles thing. This year, her dominance will hopefully continue to Paris as well, as she strives to bring back as many gold medals as possible.