Simone Biles has recently labelled Paris Olympics her “redemption tour”.
Speaking at the press conference on June 30 via PEOPLE, Simone said, “This is definitely our redemption tour.”
“I feel like we all have more to give,” remarked the 27-year-old after she was announced for the U.S. women’s gymnastics team at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Reflecting on her 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Simone mentioned, “I know we’re stronger than what we showed in Tokyo, so I think it has to be for us because it can’t be for anybody else — that’s not why we do it.”
The gymnast noted, “We do it for ourselves, and the love for the sport, and the love for representing the U.S. We’re going to go out there and we’re going to do our best.”
Simone also revealed she’s not intimidated by the critics who called her a “quitter,” amid her health struggles at the 2020 Games.
“They’ll still say like, ‘Oh my gosh, are you going to quit again, are you going to quit again?’ And if I did, what are you going to do about it? Tweet me some more?” she continued.
Simone further said, “Like, I’ve already dealt with it for three years. But yeah, they want to see us fail.”
“[It] is really unfortunate because sports haven’t seen athletes like we’ve seen before,” explained the gymnast.
Simone added, “So, you really have to give them their flowers in the sport, because once they’re gone, you’re going to miss them.”