Gymnast Simone Biles is one of the United States' most prominent athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but she skipped the opening ceremony and fans want to know why.
Why Did Simone Biles Skip the 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony?
Simone's parents, Ronald and Nellie Biles , attended the July 26, 2024, opening event and explained the athlete has a hectic schedule that starts less than two days after the opening ceremony, which is why it was difficult for her to take the time away.
"The first competition is Sunday, which is the Women's qualifier. And, of course, she needs to rest up before that competition," Nellie told NBC's Hoda Kotb and Snoop Dogg .
Due to the long duration of the opening ceremonies event, which took place along Paris' Seine River, all of the Team USA gymnasts were advised to keep their eyes on the competition ahead of them. Simone's teammates Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles , Hezly Rivera and Jade Carey also didn't take party in the pageantry.
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"She is feeling really good. I spoke to her this morning and she's doing great. She's just in a really good place," Nellie told Hoda at the opening ceremony.
Which Family Members Are Supporting Simone Biles at the 2024 Olympics?
In addition to her parents, Simone's husband, NFL player Jonathan Owens , will be on hand to cheer her on. The professional athlete got permission from the Chicago Bears when signing a muti-year contract with the team to get clearance from training camp in order to fly to Paris and watch his wife compete.
"It's an amazing feeling that they support me doing that for the person that I love most," Jonathan told reporters after the deal was done. "That was a big part of me feeling good and me feeling wanted here. All the coaches are coming up to me, asking when I'm gonna leave and saying they're gonna be watching and making sure that I won't miss a beat while I'm here."
Jonathan added, "It's gonna be an emotional time for everybody — us and all her family. But I know all the hard work that she puts in. I can't wait to go out and just watch her and watch all of her dreams come true."
What Happened to Simone Biles at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics?
Simone was expected to take home a slew of gold medals after winning four at the 2016 summer games in Rio de Janeiro.
Unfortunately, the athlete developed a case of the "twisties," which happen when gymnasts loses awareness while they are in mid-air and makes it incredibly difficult to land safety.
Simone dropped out of the women's individual all-around after she failed to complete her required twists and had a rough landing on the vault exercise.
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The Ohio native went on to withdraw from competing in the uneven bars, vault and individual floor exercise. Simone returned for her first event, the balance beam final, with an incredible comeback. She took home a bronze medal on August 3, 2021, in a scaled-back version of her highly technical routine.
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