Simone Biles may have surprised fans as she was nowhere to be seen at the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics on July 26, 2024. As Team U.S.A floated down the Seine on a large boat, the champion gymnast was notably missing from the 592-athlete strong cohort.
But according to Simone's parents Ronald and Nellie, there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for her absence - as the 27-year-old is set to compete this very weekend.
"The first competition is this Sunday," Nellie shared to NBC News' Hoda Kotb and Snoop Dogg, "which is the Women's Qualifier. And, of course, she needs to rest up before that competition."
Per professional advice, Simone and her fellow gymnasts - Suni Lee, Hezly Rivera, Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey, skipped the Opening Ceremony due to the sheer length of the event.
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As the national teams traveled down the Parisian river in boats in the pouring rain, it certainly wouldn't have been ideal for the gymnastics team to catch a cold this close to competing!
Especially as this is Simone's first Olympics after she was forced to exit the Tokyo Olympics early because she had the 'twisties'. While in the trials for the competition in 2021, she fell off the beam, flew out of bounds twice on the floor, and failed to stick her landing on the vault. She attributed this to a temporary loss of air awareness while performing twisting elements - hence the name 'twisties'.
Other athletes have called this phenomenon the 'yips' - where experienced athletes are suddenly unable to execute certain skills with no explanation. Simone partially explained that her 'twisties' were due to her own mental health suffering at the time, which led to her bowing out early.
But the champion gymnast is back on Team U.S.A with an insurmountable amount of support, as 17 of her family members will be cheering her on as she competes at the Games. Even her husband, Chicago Bears player Jonathan Owens, will be able to watch her after he got permission to miss practice.
His coach explained: "He's just supporting the one he loves the most. And I think that's so cool that he gets to do that. We welcome that and it's going to be awesome. Go U.S.A."
Jonathan said of the special occasion: "I can’t wait to be able to support her," adding: "How did I get so lucky? That this is my wife and I get to see someone that's literally at the pinnacle at her sport and I get to call this my wife. It's amazing. There's no words to really describe, just blessed."