Simone Biles is eyeing a return to the Olympics after pulling out of the Tokyo Games in 2021 with the “twisties,” a mental block that can lead to a gymnast feeling lost while they are in the air.
During a Thursday appearance on the TODAY show, Hoda Kotb asked Biles what she should do if she wanted to place a $5 bet on the American’s participation in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“Where would I put my $5? The ‘yay’ or the ‘nay?” Kotb said.
Biles responded: “Right now, I would say that’s the path I would love to go, so I wouldn’t mind if you put it in the ‘yay’ section.”
Biles returned to competition for the first time since pulling out of the Tokyo Games in 2021 at the U.S. Championship in August, where she won her record eighth United States championship.
The 26-year-old scored a 14.0 on the uneven bars, 14.8 on the balance beam, 14.9 in the floor exercise and a 15.4 in the vault. She finished first in the all-around, vault, floor and balance beam and third on uneven bars.
While speaking with Kotb on Thursday, Biles detailed how she has evolved since withdrawing from Tokyo with the “twisties”:
“A lot of trust in my coach, my teammates, myself, most importantly, coming in that gym and making sure I’m doing those numbers, repetitions, feeling confident in them.
“There were times when I would come in the gym and I’d be like, ‘You know what? I don’t think this is going to work.’ And then I was like, ‘No, I’m going to give it another day.’ … So I think just showing up and putting that work and that effort in really came to play, so as long as I showed up for another day and kept putting that work in, then it kind of went down and dwindled.”
Biles, who has won 19 gold medals at the world championships, which is more than any other men’s or women’s gymnast in history, also said that she has placed more of a focus on her mental and physical wellbeing leading up to the 2024 Paris Games.
Biles has won four gold medals, one silver medal and two bronze medals at the Olympics. She won gold in the team, all-around, vault and floor exercise events at the 2016 Rio de Janiero Olympics.
Biles also won bronze on balance beam at the 2016 and 2020 Games and silver in the team event in Tokyo.
She’ll be aiming for more gold at the Paris Games next summer.
