The biggest revelations from Simone Biles’ new documentary

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Right below Simone Biles' shoulder, she has a tattoo of the Maya Angelou quote "And Still I Rise" - it's a reminder that is always with her. As a champion in gymnastics and winner of multiple gold medals, she is now preparing for the 2024 Paris Olympics after her unexpected decision to not compete in the 2020 Tokyo games. The words of resilience and persistence from Maya Angelou hold a special significance for Simone Biles at this moment in her career.

Uncertainty and sadness plagued the 27-year-old, who is widely considered the best athlete ever, for eighteen months before she received confirmation of her return to this year's Olympics. As the highly anticipated summer competition approaches, Netflix is focusing on the renowned gymnast in its new docuseries, Simone Biles: Rising. The series delves into the last four years and more of the athlete's life.

Katie Walsh, the director, brings together interviews with Simone Biles and other US Olympic gymnastics champions like Aly Raisman, Dominique Dawes, and Betty Okin. The documentary also features insights from coaches Laurent Landi and Cecile Canqueteau-Landi, psychology professor Dr. Onnie Willis Rogers, and even Biles' family members. This provides a comprehensive look at her career up to this point.

In the first episode, we see Biles at the vault finals in Japan. This is where she encountered a mental block called "The Twisties," which caused her brain to disconnect from her body. Some cruel critics labeled her as a "quitter" and questioned her status as the "greatest of all time."

In the second episode, Biles is shown working on her emotional healing following the 2020 Olympics, as well as the allegations of sexual assault and child pornography against former US Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar.

The blog delves into how Biles was inspired by other Black female gymnasts when she was starting out as a young athlete. It then follows her journey to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, and the heartbreaking outcome in Tokyo four years later. These episodes shed light on the hidden dangers of mental health struggles in professional sports.

Here are the top four discoveries from the initial two installments of the Netflix film, Simone Biles: Rising.

From older relatives to mom and dad

Biles' career has been built on the unwavering support of her parents, who have been there for her every step of the way for the past 27 years. Despite the pre-competition jitters, Nellie and Ronald Biles have always been a source of comfort and reassurance for their daughter.

However, what many people may not realize is that Nellie and Ronald were not always just Biles' parents - they were also her grandparents. When Biles was about two years old, she and her sister Adria were removed from their siblings, Ashley and Tevin, and placed in foster care. Their biological mother, Shannon Biles, who struggled with substance abuse, was Ronald's daughter and deemed unfit to care for the children. After spending six to nine months in foster care, Biles and Adria were eventually taken in by Nellie and Ronald, while their other siblings were adopted by their great-aunt.

Even though Biles is known as a highly skilled athlete, she still has to follow the rules of the Olympics like everyone else. Before the summer games, athletes have to compete in tryouts to secure their spot on the team, even someone as accomplished as Biles with her 37 Olympic and World medals. Regardless of all her past victories, Biles still has to attend tryouts to prove she deserves to compete.

This year, the team selection event took place between June 27 and June 30 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Biles, Suni Lee, Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, and Hezly Rivera were chosen to represent the US Women's Gymnastics team in 2024.

Feeling down after the Rio de Janeiro Olympics

At the 2013 World all-around championships in Antwerp, Belgium, Biles showcased her exceptional talent, stamina, and innovation in a competitive environment. She proved herself as a strong contender and not an underdog, especially when she teamed up with Raisman at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Winning that year brought Biles immense joy and a sense of accomplishment that she thought would be hard to top in her career.

After coming back to Houston, Texas, she started to struggle. Her happy mood vanished when she faced some time off and learned about Nassar's criminal actions.

When Biles learned about Nassar’s charges of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and possession of child pornography, she had to face the fact that her own abuse had been masked as medical treatment. In the documentary, she spoke about how trauma can affect individuals differently, and how discussing such experiences can bring up unexpected emotions.

In January of 2018, Nassar received a prison sentence of 40 to 175 years from Judge Rosemarie Aquilina in Ingham County.

Tokyo "Twisties" and restrictions on media

Biles faced a lot of stress before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She felt very nervous, which caused her to experience difficulties while performing gymnastics routines, known as "The Twisties".

"The brain and body are no longer in sync, causing coordination issues," explained US women's coach Landi. "This can happen for reasons unrelated to gymnastics."

Biles struggled with her mind-body coordination, causing her to make a mistake during a vault she was familiar with. Reflecting on her performance in Tokyo, Biles admitted that she could feel the disconnect between her mind and body. She described the experience as feeling trapped in her own thoughts and unable to fully connect with her physical movements.

Because she was afraid of getting hurt, Biles decided not to compete in the final competition. This caused many fans and media commentators to call her a "quitter." She received rude messages and faced harsh criticism that took away from her past success.

"I lost all confidence in myself after Tokyo," Biles confessed.

It took her eighteen months to finally decide to go back to the gym. She had faced cruel and unwarranted comments in the past, particularly in 2016 regarding her hair while competing, but this experience severely impacted her self-assurance.

Before the 2024 Paris Olympics, Biles is changing the way she gets ready. She's doing fewer interviews, removing social media from her devices, and giving herself more time. While talking to Hoda Kotb on Today, Biles explained the specific boundaries she was setting for herself, with the main one being deleting X (formerly Twitter).

Simone Biles: Rising is available for viewing on Netflix.