Netflix released part one of the anticipated documentary series Simone Biles Rising on Wednesday, July 17. The series follows the struggles and comeback of the ‘greatest gymnast of all time’ from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics leading up to the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.
While the meat of the story is about her dealing with the fallout of bowing out of the Tokyo Games and her return to prolong her career in her quest to Paris, there is so much more to this series.
The proof is in the pudding—Biles is an outstanding gymnast who has made a lasting impact on the sport. She has four skills named after her, with no other gymnast to this day able to perform three of those. But sandwiched into these big moments—both the struggles and the wins— are the bigger conversations this documentary series brings up.
This includes the importance and previous lack of mental and physical health awareness of gymnasts and the sexual abuse culture of the sport. There is also that discussion about beauty standards in gymnastics, as well as of the training culture of working until breaking is the norm of what makes a champion.
Biles talks about these topics with bravery. Commentary from journalists, coaches, teammates, and former athletes further adds to the conversation. And it’s conversations that need to be had.
While Biles is the most decorated gymnast of all time, she is breaking ground again in the sport with this series. This time it’s not for her performance, but rather for raising awareness about the lack of focus on mental and physical health in the sport. She does this while adding humanity that is oftentimes missing in the highly competitive sport.
With Biles as a mouthpiece, one can hope changes will come to make the sport a better and safer place for youth gymnasts.
Netflix aired just two episodes of Simone Biles Rising, with more episodes coming this fall.
Simone Biles Rising: Episode 1
The first episode details Biles’ experience going from making the Olympic team in 2020 to suffering from the “twisties,” which resulted in her pulling out from the finals. The “twisties” is the term used when athletes get lost in the middle of a move. With no spatial awareness or sense of where the gymnast is when flipping, the twisties can result in serious injury including the risk of being paralyzed if falling wrong or even death.
While the world remembers when Biles bowed out, we see the moment she decided to withdraw from her mother’s house right before the news broke. This is an emotional scene for the viewer. While Biles is sure of her decision and has full support, you can’t help but feel for her in this moment.
And that’s why seeing the backlash she got after will make you shake your head in shame and disappointment for the criticism Biels received for doing what was best her for.
“She could not synch her body and mind together to compete—,” Biles head coach Laurent Lanci says, “something broke.”
In this episode, viewers are with Biles in Houston, Texas in the fall of 2023 as she speaks on what she was going through at this time. She reveals that after Tokyo she had no plans to ever compete again. But here we are coming off her impressive 2024 Olympic Trial performances and it’s hard not to completely be in awe of Biles’ story that led her to this current moment.
The first episode of Simone Biles Rising is the journey of Biles’ career in the past few years. Viewers are reminded of her achievements highlighted with montages of her flipping and leaping in the air. It’s truly a sight to see. There is no doubt Biles has changed the sport, having four skills named after her.
And while her career should be celebrated, it’s her honesty and vulnerability that should be awarded. While we see Biles in the moment of filming happily married and living in her forever home, we learn about the struggles she had with mental health following Tokyo.
A major talking point is the pressure Biles was facing in 2020. She was considered the face of the Olympics, with high expectations from the media and the world.
Landi says that the only way to cure the twisties is to take time off and identify why it happened, and that the cause usually has nothing to do with gymnastics. The series then speaks about the abuse Biles suffered at the hands of Olympic doctor Larry Nassar, and how she only started to make progress in the gym after regularly working with a therapist.
Aside from dealing with the sexual abuse she suffered, viewers get a glimpse at just how taxing the sport is on the bodies of gymnasts. Looking back at the coaching styles of the 90s is a great way to showcase the issue of coaches often working athletes to their breaking points.
We see this in the Kerri Shrug example and as forced to think about when is it all too much emotionally and physically on young teenagers at a time when being visibly in pain meant you were preserving to be a champion.
Biles says she wishes her breakdown was at any other time. If it had gone as planned she would’ve been retired after 2020. But her experience opens these important conversations about the sport to the world while allowing her to break the glass ceiling to prove that gymnasts can successfully prolong their careers—even at the young (older age for the sport) age of 27.
While facing her demons is at the forefront of this episode, seeing her happily married and finding balance in her life leaves viewers feeling happy for Biles and rooting for her even more. Seeing the side of the Olympian outside of the sport further makes her likable and helps to make the point that while she is a superhero in the gym, she is human.
Viewers see this side to her especially when we learn she lost belief in herself. She is relatable and authentic when speaking about her struggles with depression and not wanting to be in the gym.
So how did she get back to where she is now? She started back at the basics. And this is a lesson all athletes can take with them. Even the best of the best need to scale it back work on technique and find the love for their sport again. After all, even. The greatest gymnast of all time gets nervous.
Episode 2: “I Will Not Be Broken”
We learned that Biles didn’t want to be afraid anymore, so she worked hard to overcome that fear. She went from stressing perfection to just wanting to land the skill.
And then everything started to fall into place.
This is relatable to athletes of all ages who may have struggled with their performance at some point. Not every competition, game, or race is a win. But it’s the journey of building yourself back up that makes that comeback so much sweeter.
It’s in this episode the beauty standards of gymnastics are discussed, as well as the militarized culture of the camp known as The Ranch. Viewers learned about the old-world training methods and how pain is embraced when it comes to having what it takes to be on top in the sport.
This topic is brutally honest as it is hard to watch the athletes’ pain when it is the norm. It’s eye-opening and makes the viewer have pride for Biles who took a stand and said no to competing when her body and mental well-being were at stake.
This second episode of Simone Biles Rising is all about celebrating her comeback. We see her shine at Worlds this year.
Viewers also get to see her playful side, which is refreshing and great to see.
Audiences are taken back to her first Olympics, the 2016 Rio Games 2016, and the “unstoppable” team.
After winning five medals in Rio, Biles calls it “the highlight of her life.”
But in juxtaposition to this great high is the sobering fact that she then feels a low with post-Olympic depression. At just age 19 she thinks she is at her peak, so what now to do with the rest of your life?
We know exactly just what, compete in the Olympics for the third time.
The episode then follows Biles’ season leading up to the Olympics Trails. Viewers are left wanting more with a teaser that shows just what Biles experiences to stay healthy on her road to Paris.
Final Thoughts On Simone Biles Rising
Even if you aren’t a gymnastics fan, this series is worth binging. With only two episodes, it’s easy to watch in one sitting and chances are your eyes won’t wander away from Biles’ story. No matter how many times we see her soar in the air, jaws will be dropped to see her in action. It’s impossible not to be cheering for her not only for the athlete she is but for breaking ground by bringing up difficult topics to help progress the sport forward to make sure athletes are taken care of both physically and mentally.