Olympic medalist Simone Biles claims that her two-year hiatus to work on her mental health was necessary for her to achieve success in her spectacular gymnastics comeback.
The 26-year-old gymnastics athlete said she will be more “cautious” in how she handles competing this time on Thursday’s “TODAY” show on NBC.
Speaking at her gym in Spring, Texas, Biles said, “I think I have to start taking care of myself a little bit more, listen to my body, and making sure that I’m making time for the essential things in life. Prior to it, everything was basically “go, go, go,” followed by making time.
This time, she continued, “I’m being deliberate, going to therapy, and making sure everything is in place so that I can give my best in the gym and be a good wife, daughter, friend, and all the positive things.
Biles noted that she has evolved since the Tokyo Games and now places a greater emphasis on both her physical and mental health.
“Everything we do in the run-up to the upcoming Games, or whatever, is quite deliberate. This time, we’ve kind of been keeping things under wraps to ensure that both our emotional and physical health remain intact, according to Biles.
“I think it’ll be different, but it’ll be good,” she continued.
Since making a comeback, Biles has already made waves in the world of competitive gymnastics, taking home a record-setting ninth all-around title at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships in San Jose, California, last month.
She hasn’t finished yet since she wants to attend the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
She remarked of going to Paris, “Right now I would say that’s the path I would love to go.”
More than any other male or female gymnast in history, she has already taken home 19 gold medals from the world championships.
Biles is excelling in her life outside of the gym as well.
On April 22, she wed Houston’s Jonathan Owens, a football player, in a courthouse ceremony. In May, they got married once more in Cabo, Mexico.
Unfortunately, we started communicating long distances less than a week after getting married. He traveled to Green Bay immediately after Cabo,” Biles added, referring to the Wisconsinn city.
Although it’s been odd, at least we’re both occupied and paying attention to our individual sports. We treasure the times we spend together since it’s been lovely, she continued. He’s doing fantastic in Green Bay, and this week is his first game versus Chicago, so that’s great.
Additionally, she has a line of athletic apparel with Athleta Girl that features the motivational saying “Because I Can.”