Simone Biles hints at a possible appearance in Paris for the 2024 Games

Simone Biles is in full wedding planning mode following her February 2022 engagement to the NFL’s Houston Texans safety Jonathan Owens, but is she also planning for a trip to Paris in 2024? The short answer, as revealed on the Late Late Show with James Corden Wednesday night, is yes.

During an interview with the host on Wednesday, Biles shared she is definitely planning on being in Paris for the Olympics, but she does not yet know to what capacity that will be. In Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics, Biles famously withdrew from the competition citing mental health issues garnering both positive and negative publicity surrounding her exit.

While the mixed reviews around the world came in, Biles stood by her decision explaining how dangerous it can be for a gymnast to compete with a case of what is known as the “twisties.” The “twisties” refers to a phenomenon wherein an experienced athlete suddenly loses their sense of where their body is in space - a sense that is crucial to the sport and the sudden loss of which could result in serious bodily injury or even paralysis.

When the decision was made, Biles received support from her current teammates as well as past teammates and gymnastics greats. Laurie Hernandez shared with Olympics.com in 2021, “The rhythm is off, and your brain will like, stutter step for half a second, and that’s enough to throw off the whole skill.”

Nastia Liukin commended her on being a team player saying, “She did the right thing. She really wanted to focus on the team,” Liukin told NBC Olympics’ Mike Tirico. “And I think when you actually take a look at what happened on that vault — she got lost. And any gymnast knows — we call it the “twisties” — and basically she was supposed to do another whole rotation and got completely lost in the air. It’s a mental error, essentially, that every single gymnast goes through.”

Biles has not competed since Tokyo 2020 so when Corden asked if she would be in Paris, her response was exciting knowing the level at which she is capable of competing. Biles told Corden, “Well, I think right now I still have to heal mentally and physically so I will be in Paris, umm, I just don’t know what role. If that is an athlete or an audience member, we’ll just have to see.”

On average, female gymnasts peak between ages 15 and 19. Biles will be 27-years-old when the Paris 2024 Olympics take place. With how good Biles is, there is no doubt she could compete at another Games, but will she be in good enough physical, and in her case, most importantly, mental shape to be able to compete without risking serious injury?

Any fans of the sport would love to see her on Paris’ stage, but surely, any competitors hope she will be in the stands rather than on the mat.