US gymnast Simone Biles is chronicling her return to Olympic competition in a new Netflix documentary series.
The four-part series titled Simone Biles Rising, billed as featuring “unprecedented access to the most powerful comeback in sports”, follows the gymnast after she withdrew from numerous events during the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.
At the time, the 27-year-old suffered “the twisties” – a phenomenon which temporarily affects an athlete’s spatial awareness – and withdrew from five of her six finals to focus on her mental health.
can’t wait for y’all to see 👀✨🤍🎬 https://t.co/c9CVAUimkI
— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) June 19, 2024
In a trailer for the series, Biles is seen in tears as she seemingly makes the decision to stop competing, saying: “So, having these mental blocks in the gym recently.”
She also says: “I’ve always had really good intuition about things and unfortunately I felt that way about the Olympics.”
The documentary, directed by Katie Walsh, follows the most decorated gymnast in history as she returns to the mat in a bid to “resume her position at the top” at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
“I wanted to quit like 500,000 times. And I would have if it weren’t for my people,” Biles says in the trailer, which includes interviews with her new husband, American football star Jonathan Owens.
At the end of the two-minute trailer, Biles says: “I get to write my own ending.”
The first part of the series is set to premiere on July 17, ahead of the Paris Olympics.
“Journey into the world of Simone as she grapples with vulnerability and self-doubt, redefining what it means to be a champion on her own terms,” Netflix said.