Simone Biles talks about a Netflix documentary, Gymnastics Legacy

There’s always a flurry of activity when a celebrity arrives at a premiere — camera lights flash, fans scream their name. But when Simone Biles walked the blue carpet Wednesday night to debut the second part of her revealing Neflix documentary “Simone Biles Rising,” those screams were several octaves higher.

That’s because the courtyard of the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood was full of young girls who dream of one day being like Biles — the greatest gymnast of all time. Taylor Swift’s anthem “Look What You Made Me Do” blared through the speakers (a subtle nod to the floor routine that earned Biles her second all-around gold medal) as she made her way to sign autographs and take selfies with young people.

“She is such an icon and a role model for women, for gymnasts, for athletes and for human beings who need to take care of themselves, put their mental health and well-being before expectations and priorities,” said Katie Walsh , which directed “Simone Biles Rising,” said Variety about Biles. “She is a living example of what we should all strive to be – just overcome these challenges and rise above.”

Biles’ fellow Olympic champion Nastia Liukin also marveled at the fanfare, saying she never expected to be on the red carpet for a gymnastics movie. “It’s always been a fan favorite sport every four years and she’s taken that to another level,” Liukin said.

Biles, 27, won 11 Olympic medals (seven gold, two silver and one bronze) and 30 World Championship medals (she won the all-around six times) and helped start a new it was for Black. girls to thrive in sports, but her impact goes far beyond that.

“Medals aside, she’s changed — not just the sport of gymnastics — but I think the sport in general with what she’s been able to do in Tokyo,” Liukin noted.

Biles was scratched from the team finals at the 2020 Olympics after suffering a bout of “twisties,” a dangerous phenomenon in which a gymnast loses her track in mid-air. In Biles’ case, the twists and turns were the result of overwhelming mental strain.

“We can all talk about mental health. We can all be an advocate and stand up for him, but she did it at the most important event in our sport,” Liukin continued. “No one has ever said, ‘My mental health is more important than another medal, than another competition, than someone else’s opinion – and there have been a lot of opinions. No matter how many times she decides to quit the sport, she has left a legacy that I know will continue, not just for generations, but forever.”

The docuseries with four episodes captures everything — from that harrowing moment in Tokyo to Biles’ triumphant return this summer at the Paris games. At the event, Netflix screened Episode 4 — the epic finale in which Biles competes in the Paris Olympics and completes her and Team USA’s “redemption tour.” winning four more medals. Her secret goal — shared only with Biles’ inner circle and the directors of “Simone Biles Rising” — was to “win the Olympics” with a team gold medal and the all-around gold medal. And she did.

Asked what was the most emotional part of the doc to look back on, Biles said Variety that he does not fully remember looking.

“I know it’s so bad,” she said with a laugh. “After the Olympics, everything went so fast, it was so blurry. But I remember watching it with my husband and getting really emotional just because, like, I couldn’t believe that I made it all. It was really exciting.”

But as for her mental wellness legacy, Biles said it “means everything” to know she’s made a difference.

“I’ve always tried to be vulnerable and open and honest, and I’m going to continue that conversation, because I think it’s really important,” she said. “I hope I’ve helped so many people – I’ve gotten so many messages – so if I can do that, then that’s what I’m going to do.”

Biles reportedly has complicated feelings on the subject of legacy, which she revealed during a post-screening Q&A moderated by “Access Hollywood” host and “House Guest” Scott Evans. In the conversation, Evans mentioned an exchange they had backstage in which Biles asked why the topic of “legacy” would come up.

“Usually when you use world heritage, it means you’re done. So I don’t have an answer for you,” Biles said, indicating that her story is not over yet, but has not made a statement about whether she plans to compete in the 2028 Olympics in LA.

During the conversation, Biles shared more about her mental health journey and why she had been hesitant to discuss certain elements with the public.

“I’ve picked and chose whenever I talk to the media. (They) said, “What was your regimen for this morning?” And if I said, ‘Therapy,’ then they would want to know what we talked about in therapy,” Biles explained. “But these things were pretty sacred to me because it’s my space and what works for me might not work for other people.”

In the documentary, she says she went to therapy the morning of the overall final in Paris, but was worried about being too open because she didn’t want people to think she was struggling like she was in Tokyo.

“That was more of a powerful thing for me — to go in, do my visualizations, talk to her, whatever I needed,” she said. “It wasn’t in a point of weakness, it was a point of strength. So I think it was hard because the media tried to say like, “Oh, Simone was in therapy,” but then once I did so well, they said, “Oh, Simone went to therapy !”

Changing the perception of mental wellness has been a journey for Biles as well. When she started therapy, she stopped walking after a few months because she felt better.

“I saw it as a gymnastics injury,” Biles explained. “If you get hurt, go to the doctor; they would say three to six weeks, or three to six months, or you have surgery.”

So he couldn’t understand why, after a year, he still wasn’t fully well and felt he had to go back. What he realized was that taking care of your mental well-being is a forever thing.

“Everyone’s journey is unique and different and I truly believe that I will be going to therapy for the rest of my life and that’s okay. It doesn’t mean I’m broken. That’s power.” As the crowd cheered in agreement, Biles added, “You deserve this help.”