Nearly five years after the last games and last year’s delay amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Simone Biles and Team USA are just 100 days from the start of the Tokyo Olympics.
“It feels surreal. It doesn’t feel like it’s going to happen,” said the 4-time Olympic gold medalist. “Especially everything that us as athletes have gone through in the last year.”
As America’s most decorated gymnast in history, with five medals coming in Rio in 2016, Biles said she is ready to add to her trophy case. Despite any uncertainty, the Spring native continues her world-class training.
“I start at 7:00 in the morning and then I go until 10:30,” she said. “Then I’m back at 2:00 to 5:00 or 5:30. Whenever I finish it. That’s pretty much every day.”
Biles said the one-year postponement actually may have been a good thing. It allowed her to take a break and refresh her body and mind. The 24-year-old said the world can expect to see the same fierce competitor they’ve come to know and love over the years. Biles said they will also see a more mature version.
“I feel like I’ve become stronger and independent myself and just been a voice for myself,” Biles said. “Before, I was a little bit younger so I didn’t have that choice as much.”
Biles said one of her toughest adjustments for the Tokyo Games will be having to compete without her family there due to COVID restrictions. She said this will be the first time she has ever competed without someone in her family present.
