The gymnastics world was shattered during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics when superstar Simone Biles had to withdraw from the competition.

It was a case of the ‘twisties’ for Biles, where the body and mind lost synchronization during routines and could cause serious injuries while the athlete was in the air.

Now, years later, Biles’ mother, Nellie Biles, opened up about her long and strenuous journey to get back where she is today during an interview with People.

“Everybody knows Simone’s story, right?” Nellie said. “All those times were really dark and stressful times. To work through that and be in this place where she enjoys doing what she wants, and she is handling her sport the way she would have liked to four years ago, and that never happened.”

Biles came into the competition to show she could still compete and not worry about placement as much. However, as Simone Biles has done her whole career, she just continued to win, taking home three gold and one silver medal.

“It’s just been an unbelievable week,” Nellie told People. “I know we came here with our own expectations. The expectation was, we do want her to medal, but not putting any stipulations on what medals that she will get.”

Nellie even went as far as to credit the struggles at Tokyo for her daughter’s amazing performance in Paris, “If Tokyo didn’t happen the way it did, there probably would not have been a Paris.”

Though Simone has faced many struggles in her career, it’s hard not to love a comeback story as inspiring as this one.

Simone Biles Doesn’t Shut the Door On Competing In 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

As the oldest American gymnast at the 2024 Olympics at 27 years old, many think that this was the final ride for Biles.

However, Biles never went as far as to announce any retirement. “Never say never,” she told reporters. “Next Olympics are at home. So you just never know. I am getting really old.”

Age could play a factor when 2028 comes around, but as she continues to dominate her sport it’s hard to retire when there’s still gas left in the tank.

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