Simone Biles says she’s aiming for the Paris Olympics next year: ‘That’s the path I would love’

By Jill Martin and George Ramsay, CNN

(CNN) — Simone Biles has said that participating at next year’s Paris Olympics is a “path I would love,” a month after making her competitive return to gymnastics.

Biles made history on August 27 when she won a record eighth national all-around title at the US Gymnastics Championships in San Jose, California.

It continued her remarkable comeback to the sport after a two-year hiatus following the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, when Biles pulled out of several events suffering from what is known as the “twisties” – a mental block causing gymnasts to lose track of their positions in midair.

Asked on NBC’s “Today” show on Thursday about the possibility of competing at the Olympics next year, Biles said: “Right now, I would say that’s the path I would love to go.”

The 26-year-old, now the the oldest woman to ever win a national all-around title, was also asked about how she got through the “twisties” and made a successful return to gymnastics.

“A lot of trust in my coach, my teammates, myself – most importantly – coming in that gym and making sure I’m doing those numbers, the repetitions, feeling confident in them,” Biles said.

“There were times when I would come in the gym and I would be like, ‘You know what, no, I don’t think this is going to work.’ And then I was like, ‘No, I’m going to give it another day, 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. As long as I showed up for another day and kept putting that work in, then it kind of went down and dwindled.”

An open advocate for mental health, Biles said she has been “tak[ing] care of myself” more compared to when she competed at the Olympics two years ago.

“Before it was just go, go, go and then making time after,” she said.

“This time around it’s being intentional, going to therapy, making sure everything is aligned so that I can do the best in the gym and be a good wife, good daughter, good friend, all of the good things.”

Before her competitive return to gymnastics earlier this year, the seven-time Olympic medalist married NFL player Jonathan Owens. On Thursday, she said that they have mostly been long-distance pursuing their respective sports since the marriage.

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