Simone Biles sets sights on Paris 2024 Olympics after gymnastics return - 'The path I would love to go'

Updated 07/09/2023 at 13:47 GMT

Four-time Olympic gold medallist Simone Biles made her return to gymnastics last month following two years away. The 26-year-old has now revealed that she looks set to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympics and has spoken about how she plans to "take care of myself a little bit more". Biles pulled out of four individual finals at the last Olympics to protect her mental health.

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Simone Biles has said competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics is a “path I would love” as she continues her gymnastics comeback.

The four-time Olympic gold medallist made her return to competitive action last month after two years away.

Biles, 26, stepped away from the sport following the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, when she pulled out of four individual finals to protect her mental health.

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She won the US Classic on her return and then secured a record-breaking eighth all-around title at the US Gymnastics Championships.

She now has her sights set on competing at a third Olympic Games next summer.

“Right now, I would say that’s the path I would love to go,” she told NBC’s ‘Today’ show.

Biles was also asked how she overcame the ‘twisties' - a temporary loss of spatial awareness in mid-air that impacted her in Tokyo.

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

Biles’ seven Olympic medals put her level with Shannon Miller for the most Olympic medals won by an American gymnast.

She said after the last Olympics that she should not have competed due to the strain on her beforehand.

Now she says she is being more "intentional" about how she approaches competing.

“I think I have to take care of myself a little bit more and listen to my body and making sure that I’m making time for the important things in life.

“Before it was just like ‘go go go’ and then making time after. This time around it’s being intentional, going to therapy, making sure everything is aligned so that I can do my best in the gym, be a good wife, good daughter, good friend, all the good things.

“Everything that we’re doing leading up to this next Games or whatever is very intentional. We’ve kind of been playing it on the down-low this time making sure mentally and physically are both intact.

"I think it’ll be different, but it’ll be good.”

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The Olympic Games will return with Paris 2024, live on Eurosport and discovery+

Olympic Games Paris 2024