Here’s How Simone Biles Prioritized Self-Care at the Paris Olympics

The incredible athlete kept up with her regular therapy practice while on the ground in France.

Simone Biles / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

At the Tokyo Games in 2021, Simone Biles ended her second Olympics with a withdrawal from several events. She had a case of the “twisties,” a gymnastics condition in which you lose spatial awareness in the air. By competing through the block, she would have risked serious injury.

In the first two years following the games, the 27-year-old took a step back from competition. When she returned to the gym in early 2023, her only goal was to determine if she could still perform the skills she has been developing since she was 6 years old. The Paris games weren’t forefront of her mind, but self-care was.

“I tried to be very intentional about everything I was doing this time around, to ensure I feel comfortable and confident enough to train at a high level, and to simply compete again,” she said in a PORTER essay. “And, through it all, my mental health has been a priority; I’ve been keeping up with my weekly therapy and I’m proud of that.”

Simone Biles / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Nothing can get between Biles and her therapy. Not even the Paris Olympics. In fact, prioritizing self-care during the 2024 games was paramount for the gymnast. That “meant seeing my therapist pretty routinely” throughout the games, she said during a new TODAY interview. “I saw her three or four times throughout this whole entire process. It didn’t matter if it was before all-around or after qualifications. I went back to the Village, and I got on call with her and did my therapy sessions. That’s routine for me now.”

Doing so helped Biles feel “comfortable and confident enough to compete,” and very likely helped her to her three gold and one silver medal at the 2024 Olympics.