"I knew I was going to cry"- Simone Biles opens up on feeling pressure while aiming for redemption at the Paris Olympics

In her eponymous Netflix docuseries, Simone Biles recalled the time she cried before taking the stage at the 2024 US Olympic trials. She shared that her uncertainty about competing would have made her cry at some point, but she didn't realize her breakdown would happen at the trials.

Biles entered the Tokyo Olympic gates, but the 'twisties' she faced mid-air while maneuvering forced her to withdraw from the competition. Following her Olympic setback, she stepped into the role of an advocate, breaking stigmas around mental health by promoting awareness among athletes.

Many had hoped that the 30-time World medalist would defend her 2016 Rio Olympics all-around title, but upon her withdrawal, some called her a 'quitter' after she cited mental health troubles in Tokyo, as she revealed in Simone Biles Rising Part 1 (Netflix docuseries).

After a two-year hiatus, Biles marked her return at the 2023 US Classic and clinched the all-around title. She also won a spate of podiums at the US Championships and Worlds. In 2024, the Texas native continued her momentum at the US Classic and National Championships, building up to the Olympic Games.

In the second part of her eponymous Netflix docuseries, Biles shared how during the Olympic trials she teared up due to performance pressure.

"Between the previous day's workout and the US trials morning's workout, I felt pretty stressed out. Oh my god, so I finally broke down this morning (trials). I went to the bathroom and had a good cry, and I was like, 'Okay, moving on'. I knew that I was going to cry at some point, but I thought it'd be at like, Classics, Championships, like second-guessing myself if I'm ready, not at Olympic trials when I know I'm ready and prepared," she said. (28:00)

The Olympian three golds and a silver at the Games, extending her Olympic medal tally to 11.

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Simone Biles shared that having her family in the audience during the Olympics was a stress reliever for her

Simone Biles and family at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Netflix's "Simone Biles Rising: Part 2" - (Source: Getty)

As shown in the first part of Simone Biles Rising, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Olympian couldn't talk to her family in person after pulling out of the Tokyo Olympics. But the Paris Olympics were different. Her parents, Nellie and Ron Biles, sister Adria Biles, and husband Jonathan Owens cheered on her during the competition, which acted as a stress reliever for the gymnast. On the premiere night of the docuseries, the 27-year-old said (via pre-event interview at the Simone Biles Rising premiere)

“They know that I look at them in the audience to just calm me down, and it’s just a stress reliever for me. To have this experience in Paris where I could talk to them, go see them… it meant the world to me because again, these are memories we’ll cherish together."

The final two episodes of the docuseries were released on October 25 on Netflix.