Gold medal gymnast Simone Biles will be the subject of a new Facebook Watch original series that will track her preparations for the postponed Tokyo Olympic Games, which is expected to be her last run at a medal.
“Simone vs Herself,” timed to premiere this summer along with the Tokyo Olympics (currently scheduled for July 23-Aug. 8, 2021), will follow the four-time Olympic champion as she adjusts to the postponed Olympics and deals with the weight of hefty expectations. The docuseries promises unique access to Biles both on and off the mat, covering her training, public appearances, and life at home with her close-knit family.
The series is produced by Religion of Sports, the sports media company co-founded by Tom Brady, Gotham Chopra and Michael Strahan. Chopra will direct and serve as co-executive producer alongside Ameeth Sankaran of Religion of Sports, Biles and Janey Miller of Octagon.
With the docuseries, Biles said she wants to “share with my fans the process and approach I am taking along the way in the hope that it may help inspire others to be the best version of themselves too.” The 23-year-old athlete has 1 million followers on Facebook and more than 3.8 million followers on Instagram.
“My gymnastics career has been filled with a lot of ups and downs despite what a lot of people may think, and, in a lot of ways, my career has felt like I’ve been trying to prove myself to others,” Biles said in a statement. “My mom has always encouraged me to be the ‘best Simone I can be’ and I now have a true appreciation for what that really means, which is one of the big reasons I wanted to come back for Tokyo.”
“Simone vs Herself” is the third installment of the “Versus” series from Religion of Sports for Facebook Watch, after “Tom vs Time” featuring Tom Brady and “Stephen vs The Game,” following NBA champion Stephen Curry over the 2018-19 season. The Biles series will be available alongside the first two installments on the Versus on Watch Facebook page, which has 1 million followers.
“Our ‘Versus’ series with Facebook Watch has always been about pulling apart the elements that power the GOATs,” Chopra said. “There’s really no one in the world more apt for that description than Simone Biles — she’s in a class by herself.”
Religion of Sports has produced content ranging from short-form video and podcasts to feature films, including its flagship “Religion of Sports” series, “Shut Up and Dribble” and “Greatness Code.”