One champion gymnast thinks four-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Bileswill continue her reign as one of the greatest American athletes of all time duringthe 2024 Olympics Games in Paris.
Olivia “Livvy” Dunne, who recently helped the Louisiana State University Tigers win their first national championship at the 2024 NCAA Women’s Tournament, had only good things to say considering Biles’ epic comeback to the Olympic Games. Her supportive comments to Sports Illustrated during The ESPY Awards on July 11, 2024, came several years after Biles pulled out of the 2020 Tokyo Games “in order to focus on her mental health,” as reported by NBC Olympics.
Biles’ comeback in Paris this summer continues to be one of the most anticipated sporting events.
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Livvy Dunne Calls Biles the G.O.A.T.
Olivia "Livvy" Dunne attends the 2024 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Launch Party at Hard Rock Hotel on May 16, 2024 in New York City; Simone Biles at the "2023 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships" hosted at Antwerp Sportpaleis on October 08, 2023 in Antwerp, Belgium. Photo: Taylor Hill/WireImage; Naomi Baker/Getty Images
The Sports Illustrated cover girl and girlfriend of MLB player Paul Skenes referred to Biles as a “G.O.A.T,” an acronym for the “greatest of all time.”
“Simone has always been a GOAT, and I think this is, like, her revenge tour,” she told the sports interviewer. “What happened in 2020 was a freak thing, and I think that she’s out for revenge, and she’s probably going to win.”
One of Biles’ greatest challenges in the 2020 Games stemmed from her inability to overcome the twisties, a mid-air disconnect between mind and body that causes debilitating vertigo.
Biles’ decision to withdraw from the 2020 Games, however, not only helped her win the Presidential Medal of Freedom; it also made her a symbol of mental health advocacy for her millions of adoring fans.
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Biles’ Olympic comeback
Simone Biles performs her beam routine during the 2024 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships at Dickies Arena on June 2, 2024 in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo: Aric Becker/ISI Photos/Getty Images
Still, Biles continues to challenge those less forgiving of her choice to take a step back, as noted in a July 15, 2024, article by The Associated Press.
“They’ll still say like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re going to quit again? Or are you going to quit again?’ And like, and ‘If I did, what are you going to do about it? Tweet me some more?’” she told the outlet after the Olympic Trials. “Like I’ve already dealt with it for three years. But yeah, they want to see us fail.”
Biles is headed to Paris with seven Olympic medals to her name, according to her NBC Olympics profile. With four gold medals from the 2016 Games in Rio De Janeiro, this year, she will be joined by Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and newcomer Hezly Rivera to make up the women’s U.S. Team.
Biles stands as the most decorated gymnast of all time with a whopping 37 world and Olympic medals on behalf of the U.S., and there are still a number of recordsshe can break in 2024.
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Simone Biles’ Strong Support Team
Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens attend a game between the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers at Toyota Center on December 28, 2021 in Houston, Texas. Photo: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
Biles’ parents, Nellie and Ron Biles, are expected to join the athlete in the French capital, around the time the Olympic Opening Ceremony commences on Friday, July 26, 2024. The newlywed also plans on having hubby and N.F.L. star Jonathan Owens with her in the City of Love, as she stated in a July 15, 2024, Instagram Story reported by People.
“See you in Paris, baby!” she captioned alongside an adorable pic of the couple.
A new two-part Netflix special, Simone Biles Rising — premiering Wednesday, July 17, 2024 — documents the gymnast as she “balances her personal life, mental health journey, and training ahead of a highly anticipated comeback.” Biles’ parents and Owens participate in the documentary as they continue showing their support.
“I wanted to quit like 500,000 times, and I would have if it weren’t for my people,” Biles said in the trailer. “I knew it would be a long journey, but to me, it wasn’t done.”
Livvy Dunne can now count herself among the millions of Americans cheering for Biles in the 2024 Olympics Games in Paris.
Don't Miss
Watch live coverage of theOpening Ceremonyon Friday, July 26, on NBC and Peaco*ck beginning at 12 p.m. ET. Telemundo will provide Spanish-language coverage beginning at 1 p.m. ET. Primetime coverage starts at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on NBC andPeaco*ck.
