Contents
“Simone Biles Rising” is a four-part documentary series by director Katie Walsh. Netflix released the first two episodes on July 17, 2024 and the remaining ones on October 25, 2024. The series begins with Simone Biles’s withdrawal at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021. It then follows her break, her comeback and the road to Paris 2024. At its center is the Quality of Courage, here in an unusual form: being able to stop.
Saying no on the biggest stage
Situation
In Tokyo, Biles loses her orientation in the air during her vault. She lands on her feet but then withdraws from most of the competitions. In the series she explains the “twisties”: mind and body no longer work together in the air. A former Olympic gymnast describes how dangerous that is.
Link to the quality
Courage does not mean taking every risk. Courage means making the right decision when it is unpopular. Leaders need this courage to stop a project even though everyone expects it to be completed.
Enduring criticism
Situation
After her withdrawal, Biles is attacked in public, by commentators too. According to the series, this took its toll on her. She restricted comments and deleted an app from her phone. She says herself that she went to therapy. Her coaches speak of around 18 months without serious training.
Link to the quality
This is where the secondary link comes in: inner security. Those who draw their worth only from results cannot sustain a no. Secure leaders filter criticism instead of surrendering to it. They get help and do not see that as weakness.
Coming back without a guarantee
Situation
Biles says in the series that after Tokyo she did not believe she would ever compete again. In 2023, at the age of 26, she competes at the World Championships in Antwerp. She speaks of having fought demons every day in training.
Link to the quality
The second kind of courage is quieter than the first. It consists of approaching the place of failure again, step by step. Leaders know this after a wrong decision: trust in your own judgment grows only by acting again.
Writing your own ending
Situation
The second part follows Biles from the US trials to Paris. There, in 2024, she wins three gold medals and one silver medal. In the series she says, in essence, that she gets to write her own ending. Looking back, she says she is even grateful for the vault in Tokyo.
Link to the quality
Courage makes you able to act because it reclaims the interpretation of your own story. Biles does not let the withdrawal stand as the last word. Those who lead can place setbacks in the same way: as a chapter, not as a verdict.
Key takeaways
Key lessons
- Say no when carrying on endangers you or others.
- Make the right decision even when it costs you applause.
- Do not make your worth depend on your last result.
- Get support before you take on responsibility again.
- After a setback, return to the task in small steps.
Summary
The series tells of courage in two steps: first the no in Tokyo, then the return all the way to Paris. Both succeed only with an inner security that does not depend on medals. For leaders, there is a clear message in this. Those who can stop when it is necessary gain the freedom to start anew.