(Reuters) – American gymnast Simone Biles aims to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics she told American morning TV show Today, but said she would approach what be her third Games differently.
Biles rebounded from a two-year break from the sport to capture a record eighth all-around title at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships last week, and until Thursday had kept her competitive plans close to her chest.
“Right now, I would say that’s the path that I would love to go,” Biles told Today on Thursday.
“I think I have to take care of myself a little bit more and listen to my body and making sure that I’m making time for the important things in life,” she added. “Before it was just like ‘go go go’ and then making time after.
“I think it’ll be different, but it’ll be good.”
The 26-year-old is making a comeback after pulling out of multiple events at the Tokyo Olympics due to the “twisties,” which are a temporary loss of spatial awareness in mid-air.
But looking as dominant as ever at the U.S. nationals, she served notice to the gymnastics world less than a year before the Games.
Biles is a four-time Olympic and 19-time world championships gold medallist, and her withdrawal in Tokyo to focus on her mental health was one of the biggest stories of those Games.
The gymnast, who captured four gold medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics, said she will alter her approach to Paris, if she indeed decides to go.
“This time around it’s being intentional, going to therapy, making sure everything is aligned so that I can do my best in the gym, be a good wife, good daughter, good friend, all the good things,” she said.
“Everything that we’re doing leading up to this next Games or whatever is very intentional. We’ve kind of been playing it on the down-low this time making sure mentally and physically are both intact.”
The Olympics artistic gymnastics competition runs July 27 to Aug. 5
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
