Simone Biles covers the latest issue of Glamour. She’ll be on a lot of magazine and newspaper covers in the weeks and months to come, because of the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics in July. Simone is expected to sweep gold medals in every category. I’m not saying that to put pressure on her, I’m saying it as a statement of fact about how far ahead she is from every other gymnast in the world. Many of Simone’s pre-Olympic profiles are covering the same stuff, but this Glamour piece is the first thing I’ve read where she talks vaguely about how maybe – maybe!! – she would think about competing in Paris 2024. She would be 27 years old during the Paris Olympics. That would make her one of the oldest competitors in gymnastics of all time. It’s crazy, but if she’s feeling it, why not? You can read the full Glamour piece here. Some highlights:

The 2020 Olympics getting delayed: “I got to process all the emotions. I got to go through being angry, sad, upset, happy, annoyed. I got to go through all of it by myself, without anybody telling me what to feel.” She became depressed. She thought of quitting. But that didn’t last long. “I wanted to give up. But it would have been dumb because I’ve worked way too hard.”

How she deals with all of the pressure: “Probably by compartmentalizing. I try not to think about it because I can’t afford to—if I let them rule me, they’re winning.”

Life beyond the gym: “Before I would only focus on the gym. But me being happy outside the gym is just as important as me being happy and doing well in the gym. Now it’s like everything’s coming together.” Part of this balance includes self-care (baths with Dr. Teal’s), eating Mexican food (“I’m obsessed with cheese, so I start with queso and beef”), relaxing with her boyfriend (Houston Texans safety Jonathan Owens—they met on Raya), and trying to find a hobby. “I feel like everybody was painting, or knitting, or doing something cool in quarantine, so I was like, ‘I’m going to learn how to do my makeup, my hair, and my nails.’ I almost ruined my nails, so that is no longer permitted. I’ve definitely gotten better at doing my hair, but clearly I’m not gifted in that department, I’m just really trying to find who I am.”

On therapy: “I’ve learned it’s okay to ask for help if you need it. One of the very first sessions, I didn’t talk at all. I just wouldn’t say anything. I was like, ‘I’m not crazy. I don’t need to be here.’ I thought I could figure it out on my own, but that’s sometimes not the case. And that’s not something you should feel guilty or ashamed of. Once I got over that fact, I actually enjoyed it and looked forward to going to therapy. It’s a safe space.”

She’s an adult: “I’m not a little girl anymore. It’s definitely up to me. Nobody’s forcing me. Whenever you’re younger, you feel like it’s a job, and you have to be pushed. But now it’s like, This is what I want to do, so that’s why I’m here.”

The GOATour: After the Tokyo Games, Biles is taking over the post-Olympics gymnastics tour, an event that had historically been produced by USAG. The Gold Over America Tour (GOAT for short—see what she did there?) will have lots of dancing, music, and a cast that prioritizes fun over technical superiority. “With what’s happened with USAG, I just wanted it to be completely different, on my own terms. And I think that’s very powerful. It’s an all-girl tour for women’s empowerment. It was a great year for women to speak out, and I think it’s nice to keep the ball rolling on that and to have women feel happy, and find their love and passion for gymnastics again. I know the men were really upset, but it’s my tour.”

Retirement?? After two Olympics, the plan was to hang up her grips. “I’m just really excited to see what’s out there in the world and to see what else I’m good at,” she says. But retirement may not be forever. The Paris 2024 Olympics are already tugging at the edges of her brain. “My coaches Cecile and Laurent are from Paris, so I think that would be a good run to end with them there. I’ll see where we go.”

[From Glamour]

I lol’d at “I know the men were really upset, but it’s my tour.” Love it. I didn’t know she was in charge of the post-Olympic tour and she had wrested control of it away from the USAG. Simone is the only survivor of Larry Nassar to still be a competitive gymnast, and Simone’s voice calling people to account has completely changed the power structure of USA Gymnastics. If Biles thinks USAG is moving too slowly, the organization now has to move at Biles’ pace. If she says that so-and-so enabled the Nassar cover-up, that person is gone. Still, that’s so much to put on her shoulders and she feels that weight, that responsibility to use her voice to get justice and accountability.

As for the rest of it – she’s had so much peace now that she gets to train in her own family gym in Texas and gets to choose her coaches, routines, and training. Plus, she has more of a life outside of the gym. I love that for her.

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Cover and photo courtesy of Glamour.