"Put gymnastics on the map"- Simone Biles makes her feelings known as she wins major honor in the Olympic year

Simone Biles expressed her thoughts on being named Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year for her outstanding performance at the Paris Olympics. The American gymnast’s victorious pursuits at the quadrennial games in the French capital took her overall Olympic medal count to 11, making her the most decorated gymnast in the history of the sport.

The 27-year-old marched into the 2024 season with the Paris Olympics in foresight. Her appearance in this particular edition of the quadrennial was highly anticipated by fans, who termed it as 'redemption,' as she had withdrawn from the Tokyo Olympics due to mental health concerns.

Simone Biles asserted her dominance in the French capital, taking home three gold medals and one silver medal. She received great praise from fans and enthusiasts worldwide for overcoming the Tokyo Olympics setback and performing on the biggest stage of the sport once again. Moreover, Sports Illustrated named her as the Sportsperson of the Year.

In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Biles expressed her thoughts on receiving the major honor and revealed the responsibilities that come with it. The Olympic gold medalist revealed that she was honored to represent the sport of gymnastics globally and hoped for a rise in the sport's popularity.

"I so excited to be Sportsperson of the Year. It is a big role and shoes to fill, I'm honored because we want to put gymnastics on the map alongside the Olympic year. So, it's really cool," she said.

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Simone Biles on a stressful moment from her Paris Olympics appearance

Simone Biles at the Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 10 - Source: Getty

Simone Biles had a successful campaign at the Olympic games in Paris however, there were moments during the quadrennial games which were very stressful for her. She spoke about competing in the balance beam final in an interview after the event.

The American gymnast revealed how the noise in the Arena made it very difficult and stressful for the gymnasts to compete.

"Beam final is always the most stressful. Today you could hear some of the Android ringtones going off, photo clickers, whatever that was and you try to stay in your zone, and then people start cheering and the shushing gets louder - but really they should be shushed because they're louder," she said.

" It was really weird and awkward and we've asked several times if we can have some music or some background noise but I'm not really sure what happened there. None of us liked it. It was an odd beam final," she added.

Ultimately, Biles was out of contention for the podium in the balance beam as she fell off after losing her balance. Italy's Alice d'Amato won the gold medal with a performance of 14.366, and China's Zhou Yaqin took home the silver medal.