Simone Biles gets candid on fight to return to Olympics in new series

By Yi-Jin Yu

A new docu-series about legendary gymnast Simone Biles and her road back to the Olympics is set to be released ahead of the 2024 Paris Games.

The upcoming "Simone Biles Rising" will give fans and viewers an inside look at some of the Olympian's video diaries and her fight to return to competition after withdrawing from several events at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics three years ago.

"I knew it would be a long journey, but to me, it wasn't done," Biles says in the trailer for the Netflix docu-series.

Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports via Reuters

Simone Biles performs on floor exercise during day two of the women’s 2024 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships at Dickies Arena, June 2, 2024, in Fort Worth, Texas.

The two-part series will explore what happened to Biles, who pulled out of competition at the 2020 Tokyo Games after experiencing "the twisties," a term used to describe when the body and mind are out of sync, and take viewers along as she deals with the traumas from her past, learns how to manage her mental health and embraces her journey gearing up for a potential third Olympics.

"Sometimes, you have to take that power back," Biles says in the trailer, after adding that she felt like she might have quit gymnastics if it weren't for the family and friends who supported her.

Courtesy of Netflix

Simone Biles is seen in a still from the upcoming Netflix film "Simone Biles: Rising."

Producers for "Simone Biles Rising" promise the series "will not only inspire, but also amplify necessary conversations around the challenges athletes face with mental health."

The docu-series will also shares glimpses of Biles' personal life, including her husband, Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens, who is also featured in the trailer.

Biles, 27, is gearing up to compete in the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials next week and recently won a record ninth all-around U.S. championship.

"It's wonderful to see how she can come back after Tokyo after three years ago and be the one to write her own story and write her own ending," USA Today columnist Christine Brennan told "Good Morning America."

In a statement, Biles said gymnastics is what she does and not who she is. She also said she's excited for people to see another side of her outside of competition.

Part 1 of "Simone Biles" premieres July 17. Part 2 will be released later this year.