The Netflix docuseries "Simone Biles: Rising" provides an in-depth look into the life of Simone Biles.
The critically acclaimed docuseries has received mixed reviews, with a perfect 100% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes but a lower 43% audience score. The docuseries director, Katie Walsh, wanted to showcase Biles as a full human, not just an unbeatable gymnast, and had an established relationship with Biles before creating the docuseries, allowing deeper insights into her life.
The series includes discussions on the evolution of harsh attitudes in gymnastics, featuring voices like Dominique Dawes and Betty Okino.
Simone Biles experienced "the twisties," a disorienting sensation causing a mental block during twisting moves, at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, leading her to withdraw from the competition. The docuseries explores her public crisis, capturing her mental health struggles, emotional breakdown, and struggles in returning to competition.
She has a record of 32 Olympic and World Championship medals and has had new moves named after her for her pioneering performances.
Biles rose to become a household name and one of the best gymnasts of her generation, with a massive social media presence, including millions of followers and her own set of emojis called "Simoji."
Her estimated net worth of $16 million comes primarily from sponsorships, endorsements, and brand partnerships with companies like Athleta and Nike.
The athlete testified before the U.S. Senate about the sexual abuse she and her teammates suffered at the hands of Larry Nassar and the failure of the FBI's investigation. In the docuseries, Biles connects her "twisties" in Tokyo to a trauma response from the abuse she endured, speculating that her delayed trauma response affected her Tokyo performance.
The docuseries provides intimate access to Biles' life, interviews, and competition footage.
Biles won the Olympic American trials, becoming the oldest female gymnast sent to the Olympics since the 1950s.
The final two episodes of the series will focus on Biles during the Olympic Games in Paris, showing her journey in real-time and behind the scenes.
Sources: Slate, Forbes, USA Today, EssentiallySports, BGR, Sportskeeda, Chicago Tribune, TheWrap, Screen Rant, Olympics.com, Decider, SFGATE, Salon.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.
