Monday Inspiration - Simone Biles

Well the 2024 Paris Olympics are over, and by all accounts it was one of the best ever.

I am not a huge fan of the Olympics, but I catch most of the headlines going by. And there was no shortage of great stories and drama this year - from pole vaulters with bulges, to Celine Dion making an appearance, to Canada setting a personal best for medals won, to a female boxer with XY chromosomes, to a whale photobombing the surfing competition, to the US running away with the medal counts, to a female competitor being removed from the housing for having too much fun, to Snoop Dogg doing whatever Snoop Dogg does, and all the way to Tom Cruise dropping in on the closing ceremonies. Wow. And much much more.

But my favorite story was the appearance of Simone Biles after her incredible burn-out in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Mental strength is a popular topic on the pickleball courts, but the training and effort put in by world champion gymnasts is beyond anything I could imagine. Simone simply ran out of gas in Tokyo and many people predicted that it was the end of her career.

She took most of a year off and then went back to work with a vengeance. At 27 years old, no one expected her to make it all the way back to the Olympics. But she did. And she added to her gold medal totals to become the most decorated gymnast ever and clearly the GOAT in her sport.

So if you are looking for a bit of inspiration, try Simon Biles Rising on NetFlix. And good luck with your new gymnastics career.

Michael Gauthier
​NDY (Not Done Yet)