Simone Biles says she plans to compete in the 2024 Olympics
Mark your calendar for early August 2024, when Simone Biles will be hoping for her big return to Olympic competition.
Biles, the greatest gymnast of all time, told Hoda Kotb in Thursday morning’s Today that if Kotb bet $5 on whether she plans to return to Olympic competitions when the Paris 2024 games are held, she wouldn’t . That’s not a bad choice.
“Right now, I’d say that’s the path I’d like to take, so I wouldn’t mind if you put it in the ‘Woo-hoo’ category,” Biles said.
Biles, 26, had planned to participate fully in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (which were held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). But once she got there and started practicing, she experienced something every gymnast dreads: the turns.
In the twisties, a gymnast loses contact with the ground when flying through the air, and despite the cute name, it’s a serious problem. When a gymnast loses ground contact in the air, they have no idea when to land safely or not. It’s a psychological issue that can lead to serious injury, and Biles has decided to retire from both team and individual all-around competitions to focus on her mental health. She nevertheless won a silver medal in the team event and an individual bronze medal on the balance beam.
Biles doesn’t need another Olympics to become the undisputed GOAT of women’s gymnastics and one of the greatest athletes of all time. But after the Tokyo 2020 Olympics rolled around for her, she seems to want another chance to make it right and compete in the Olympics on her own terms, being fully aware of the needs of her body and mind and being empathetic reacted to it.
If recent results are any indication, Biles is on course to earn a spot on the US women’s gymnastics team. At the 2023 US Gymnastics Championships — her first-ever competition since the Tokyo Games — Biles captured the historic eighth all-around title and had the support of the entire building (even the gymnasts who competed against her).
The 2024 Olympic Games are scheduled to begin on July 26, 2024 in Paris.
