Hot topics

Simone vs Herself Foreshadows the Fall of Gymnastic’s GOAT

Last year, it was an undisputed fact that Simone Biles was the greatest female gymnast of all time. But at the Olympics this summer, she dropped out. In her Facebook Watch docu-series Simone vs Herself, it’s not hard to see why.

Simone Biles at the Olympics
Photo: CNN

The five episode long series kicks off in March 2020, when the Olympics was first cancelled. Biles, in the prime of her career, was devastated at the news. For an Olympic athlete, postponement means another year full of training, waiting, and, crucially, aging. For Biles, it also meant another year of dealing with USA Gymnastics, an organization that failed her and countless other young gymnasts.

In the fourth episode, “What More Can I Say?” Biles talks about the sport’s notorious toxic culture and how it allowed former Team USA doctor Larry Nassar to sexually abuse hundreds. Biles is the last survivor of Nassar’s abuse to remain on Team USA, an enormous and terrible burden. 

https://twitter.com/simone_biles/status/953014513837715457

“I have to be wary of what I say because I’m still competing under them,” she said. “We still have to see them and I still have to be represented under USAG… I feel like I’ll be more of a voice when I’m done cause I’ll have that power and I won’t feel like I’ll be punished.”

On top of that, the year of quarantine has only grown expectations of Biles’ success at the Olympics. In the series’ last episode, journalist Jemele Hill puts it nicely: “For her, in every competition, [there’s] the expectation to be excellent. And not just for her to win it. The expectation is that she’s going to show you something you’ve never seen before.”

And she does. At her first post-pandemic competition, Biles nails the Yurchenko Double Pike, a skill so hard that no woman has ever competed it before. It seems like she’s at the top of the game, and she is physically, but not so much mentally.

Simone Biles competing
Photo: CTV News

“Now when I compete, I’m more afraid of what other people are going to say if I mess up rather than if I do well,” Biles said.

And that’s where the series leaves off. It’s some pretty obvious foreshadowing to Biles dropping out of the individual all around. In the battle of Simone vs Herself, it seems, for the first time ever, she lost. 

You can watch Simone vs Herself here on Facebook Watch.

About author

Articles

Annie Burba is a sophomore at New York University studying journalism and psychology. She spends her spare time reading, scrolling through TikTok, and trying not to kill her plants.
    Related posts
    Award ShowsCelebrityEventsFashionHot topicsRed Carpet

    Glitzing Red Carpet at The Plaza for FGI 's Night of Stars Gala

    FGI Night of Stars Convened Leaders and Legends – Including Andrew Bolton, Whoopi Goldberg, Martha…
    Read more
    CelebrityHot topics

    Oscars 2022: The Awards Show That Slapped ... Literally

    In what turned out to be one of the most ridiculous moments on live television, many people who were…
    Read more
    CelebrityHot topics

    Jefferson White Talks 'Yellowstone' Season 4 Finale

    Jefferson White, who plays Jimmy on the number 1 show ‘Yellowstone’ says don’t…
    Read more
    Newsletter
    Join The Special Circle

    Keep it POPPING with POP Style TV !

    Culture

    The Glorious Rise and Fall of "Cheugy"

    Worth reading...