“I’m going for another Olympic run, which I thought we would have retired after 2020,” declared the gymnastics GOAT on the premiere episode of Netflix’s series Simone Biles Rising, titled “Write Me Down in History.” Three years ago, Simone Biles was ready to hang up her leotard for good. But here she is, at 27, heading to the Paris Olympics to make even more modern-day history. Already the most decorated gymnast ever, Biles isn’t just aiming for the all-around title; she’s set to become the second-oldest woman to ever compete for it.
If she wins, she’ll be the oldest woman to clinch the Olympic All-Around title in seven decades, since Maria Gorokhovskaya did it in 1952 at 30 years, 266 days. Plus, Simone Biles would be the first woman over 25 to take home the title in over five decades, following Věra Čáslavská’s win in 1968 at 26 years old. And to top it all off, the American-Belizean Biles could become the only American woman to achieve an Olympic All-Around title twice.
En route to making her dreams come true, Simone Biles took to Instagram on July 18, 2024, to share the kick-off—or should we say take-off—of her Paris Olympics journey, complete with jitters and all the feels. In a full-circle moment, heading back to the Olympics after the tumult of 2021, Simone wrote on Instagram Threads, “Just got on my flight & I feel REALLLL emotional.” The 7X Olympic medalist even shared a playful pouty selfie on the flight with an arrow pointing to “PARIS.”
As the plane took off, she captured a breathtaking sunset with the city below and shared a slightly worried but positive note, writing, “Unwell (with an emotional emoji) can’t believe I’m heading to my 3rd Olympic Games.” Finally, she posted a snippet of the plane cruising through the clouds, captioning it, “On the way USA – France.” While 27 might be considered “old” in gymnastics, Simone Biles is ready to rewrite her story again—this time on her own terms.
Simone Biles brings a fresh POV to the Paris Olympics, flipping the script from 2021
In her chat with Hoda Kotb of Today, Simone Biles opened up about wanting her legacy to be more than just medal counts. Unlike the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where the pressure to bring home gold nearly broke her, Simone is approaching the Paris Olympics with a fresh, youthful passion. This time around, she’s got her family and husband, Jonathan Owens, by her side, turning this into a journey of redemption.
Simone told Hoda, “As long as I was having fun and doing what I love, then that’s all that you can do, because I don’t want to look back 50 years from now and be like, ‘Wow, she was good, but she was so miserable.” She’d rather look back and think, “‘Wow, look at her go. She’s having so much fun. She’s loving what she’s doing, who she’s doing it with.’ So really, just embracing that moment.” Another big change?
Simone’s taking therapy seriously and limiting her social media use. She plans to stay off X (formerly Twitter) during the Olympics but will still be active on Instagram and TikTok. So, from the looks of her recent Instagram updates, it’s clear that Simone Biles’ Paris Olympics adventure has officially kicked off! What do you think about the GOAT’s epic comeback? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!
