The superstar gymnast’s gold medals could soon earn her a golden statuette, with her Netflix documentary, ‘Simone Biles Rising’, earning a nomination for a Primetime Emmy this week. The series has already won several prizes, including the Annual Critics’ Choice Awards for Best Sports Documentary.
It follows the seven-time Olympic champion on her remarkable journey to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, giving viewers an insight into her comeback from her withdrawal from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and her advocacy for athlete mental health and wellbeing. The documentary was also used as evidence in Jordan Chiles’ appeal with the Swiss Federal Tribunal, after she was stripped of the bronze medal in the controversial women’s floor final.
The docuseries had audiences engaged, with its endearing, intimate approach, and critics have reacted positively, with Variety calling it “a beautiful reflection of a champion who defied all odds.” Could she defy the odds again and beat popular shows ‘Chef’s Table’, ‘100 Foot Wave’, ‘SNL 50: Beyond Saturday Night and Social Studies’?
“Simone Biles Rising is a powerful reminder that true strength lies not only in medals, but also in courage, honesty and the willingness to be vulnerable. This Emmy nomination is a great honour — and a testament to Simone’s impact and the values that lie at the heart of the Olympic Movement. We’re proud to have helped bring her story to the world,” said Olympic Channel Executive Director Yiannis Exarchos in an Olympics.com press release.
The OCS and the International Olympic Committee had a hand in producing the series, and the nomination “marks another milestone for the IOC’s original productions, which continue to bring the inspiring stories of athletes to audiences worldwide,” said Jérôme Parmentier, vice-president of Media Rights and Content Partnerships at the IOC.
Biles was in disbelief at the news, and shared the nomination on her social media, writing “STOP IT,” accompanied by screaming emojis. Just a day later, she’d be overcome by surprise again, winning Best Championship Performance at The ESPYS for her efforts at the Paris Games.
“That was very unexpected, especially in a category of all men,” Biles said, according to ESPN.
The highly anticipated Emmys will be held on 14 September at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, where Simone Biles Rising could soon join the ranks of Games documentaries recognised by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, such as ‘Netflix’s Rising Phoenix’, the documentary about the Paralympic Games, which won two Sports Emmys in 2021.
