By Amberleigh Jack
It's her raw approach to battling mental health "demons", and the decision to return on her terms that may cement Biles as one of the greatest athletes of our time. Photo: Courtesy of Netflix
Analysis - As the most decorated gymnast in history, Simone Biles is a name even a casual sports fan knows.
You're probably aware she withdrew from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics for mental health reasons after getting lost in the air on a vault during the team competition.
Maybe you saw the online vitriol aimed her way back then. You wouldn't have had to look far.
Simone Biles: Rising documents her comeback. With access to Biles, her family, teammates, coaches and former Olympians, it also digs into the harmful history of the sport and how Biles - standing up for her mental health - could help change it for the better.
Simone Biles: Rising episodes one and two are available on Netflix. A release date has not yet been given for the second part of the four-episode documentary. Photo: Courtesy of Netflix
I was never a great gymnast as a child. But I trained lots. I worked through injuries I shouldn't have. A 10-year-old perfectionist, I cried many tears and worried about disappointing a strict coach. At that same age, a teammate told me flips were harder because I was bigger.
The sport brought me intense joy. And it likely contributed to a serious eating disorder that lasted years longer than my time in the sport.
Simone Biles: Rising celebrates brilliance, but gives an honest look into the harmful pressure we place on all our elite athletes. And it just takes a glance online after an All Blacks loss to know we feel we're not above it in New Zealand.
Here's what we learned in part one.
'I felt like I was in jail with my own brain and body'
Biles used to "cry and cry" outside a closet filled with Tokyo memorabilia.
No comeback story can be told without delving into the day the world watched it unravel, and Biles recalls the heartache of the timing of the 'twisties' - a terrifying disconnect between the mind and body that gets you lost in the air. It's scary and dangerous. "You can die", says former Olympian, Betty Okino.
We see Biles in tears in her hotel and her family watching back in the US due to Covid restrictions. It gives a sense of the loneliness and isolation of the games amid a global pandemic. It's coupled with brutal social media vitriol from fans across the screen.
They spoke louder than any supporters, she says. She thought she'd never compete again.
'I'm writing my own ending'
It's her raw approach to battling mental health "demons", and the decision to return on her terms that may cement Biles as one of the greatest athletes of our time.
Biles has been very honest about her own 'demons'. Photo: Courtesy of Netflix
She's refreshingly honest about her fears - of her skills, the pressure of competition and not wanting to break down in front of her teammates.
She's candid about therapy and is seen as gymnasts rarely are: happy. Life outside the gym is spent with family, watching husband Jonathan Owens play for his NFL team and laughing. Inside the gym is focussed. Both show her smiling.
Coupled with some pretty awe-inspiring competition footage, she's proving that - just maybe - being the best and being happy can be mutually inclusive.
'It's a trauma response'
In 2018, shortly before former US Olympic team doctor, Larry Nassar was sentenced to 175 years for sexually abusing more than 150 gymnasts, Biles spoke out about being a survivor of his abuse. She's spoken about US Gymnastics' failure to protect athletes. Allegations emerged about the abusive culture, and abusive coaches, under former national team coordinators Bela and Marta Karoyli.
The documentary goes deeper though, delving into the pressure and exhaustion that came with being a public survivor. The historic mentality of the elite programmes in the sport, as well as the criticism gymnasts of colour received over presentation and hair, paints a picture of insurmountable pressure. Then there's the childhood story, of foster care, before being adopted by her grandparents who became Mum and Dad.
Biles spoke out about being a survivor of his abuse. Photo: Courtesy of Netflix
"People put you on these pedestals and I'm just begging to be human," she says at one point.
'The difference between the greats and the GOATS … is that they change their sport'
With her never-seen-before skills, Biles has changed what's possible in the sport. But - if we're lucky - her legacy will help change the mentality of elite sport for future generations.
We grew up knowing gymnasts peaked as teenagers. She's an Olympic favourite at 27. The culture, globally, was normal, until it wasn't.
In recent years, British gymnastics came under fire over abusive treatment. Gymnastics Canada faced similar allegations. This month, ABC reported that Australian coach, Jeb Silsbury, withdrew from the Olympic team when allegations of inappropriate conduct from a former colleague came to light. In Aotearoa, allegations of physical, mental and emotional abuse from former and current athletes in 2020, prompted an independent review, identifying multiple areas of concern.
Changes have been made here, including an overhaul of uniform rules. Gymnastics NZ has child safeguarding requirements in place for all clubs and personnel.
In a sport dominated by children, the need to protect them and give them a voice is vital.
Growing up, my idol was Kerri Strug - a US teenager hailed a hero for winning Olympic gold on a badly injured ankle.
Biles' impact is more than pulling incredible skills. If we're lucky, a new generation will grow up believing they have a voice, and that being a champion doesn't have to come at the expense of mental health.
As she puts it - Thank god for that vault.
Simone Biles: Rising episodes one and two are available on Netflix. A release date has not yet been given for the second part of the four-episode documentary.
