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This is definitely our redemption tour. I feel like we all have more to give,ā Simone Biles told reporters at a late-night press conference on Sunday, June 30, not longĀ after being selected as part of the five-person womenās gymnastics teamĀ heading to the Paris Olympics next month.
BilesĀ will compete alongsideĀ Suni Lee, Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles and Hezly Rivera.
Four of them, minus Rivera, were also all together at the Tokyo Games, in 2021, which saw them earn a team silver and five individual medals, including the all-around gold for Lee.
But their events were in some ways overshadowed by Bilesā struggles at the time:Ā She suddenly withdrew from most of her events, citing her mental health and a case of the ātwisties,ā and her teammates had to step up, unexpectedly, in her absence.
On Sunday, Lee and Biles both brought up the idea of āredemptionā in returning to another Olympics.
āWe werenāt under the best circumstances ā¦ but I feel like we have a lot of weight on our shoulders to go out there and prove that weāre better athletes,ā Biles said. āWeāre more mature, weāre smarter, weāre more consistent.ā
āI know weāre stronger than what we showed in Tokyo. So I think it has to be for us because it canāt be for anybody else, ācause thatās not why we do it. We do it for ourselves and the love for the sport and the love for representing the U.S.,ā she said. āSo weāre going to go out there and weāre going to do our best.ā
Biles addressed a range of other topics ā how she defines her success, relishing the support of husband Jonathan Owens and what it feels like to age in a sport that has famously prioritized youth.
Now 27, Biles leads a generation of women who are pushing past that preconceived notion. And sheās ready to playfully admit when she was wrong.
Asked about her past dynamic on the 2016 team with then-captain Aly Raisman, who was 22, Biles quips now: āI definitely have to apologize to Aly calling her āgrandmaā because, woo, I feel like Iām way older now than me calling her grandma when we were younger.ā
āAnd itās what, 11 [p.m.]? So itās definitely past my bedtime ā so I know Aly would be cracking up right now. But yeah, it is crazy. Iām a lot older, Iām more mature. What was the rest of the question? See, Iām forgetting!ā
That led her to talk about how she approaches recovery now versus then.
āAfter Day 1 of trials, I was actually surprised I could walk. So I was like, āWoo, Iām actually not as sore, Iām not hurting. ā¦ Recovery, I just have to take a little bit more serious,ā she said. āBack in Rio [in 2016], I could do anything. I never needed tape, nothing. I was just like a little hamster on a wheel, always running.ā
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After Tokyo, Biles took a lengthy break from competing. She credited her return to a slew of people: teammates, therapists, medical staff.
āIt really does take a village. So I think weāre just all in awe of what Iām doing and I feel like even for myself, Iām like, āOh my gosh, Iām still doing it. Iām still capable,ā ā she said. āSo letās go.ā
Owens, whom she married in April 2023, will be by her side for part of Paris as well: The Chicago Bears āare actually granting him a couple days off from training camp, so heāll be there for just a short little time,ā she said.
Asked about his support, likeĀ his meme-able reactionsĀ to watching her during trials, she said, āI think itās super exciting that we get to be in each otherās elements and supporting each otherās dreams and goals.ā
āItās these memories that we make that weāll never get back,ā she added, āso anytime we can show up for one another and support, we just get super excited because our schedules donāt align that much.ā