Gymnastics phenom Simone Biles put on a show at the Paris Olympics and walked away another three gold medals and a silver to add to her extraordinary collection.

But the road to get to Paris wasn’t easy.

At Tokyo 2020, Biles started suffering from the ‘twisties,’ a mysterious phenomenon that suddenly means a gymnast is no longer able to do a twisting skill she’s done thousands of times before. 

Biles said that made her participation and performances in Paris all the sweeter.

"It was important to me because nobody forced me to be out there on that stage," she told CNN’s Coy Wire in Paris today.

Biles says she "dealt" with the twisties in therapy, something she has spoken about on a number of occasions since Tokyo.

Despite overcoming them, she admits that doubts sometimes still begin to creep in.

"Obviously, you always have those thoughts coming into the back of your head, but just trying to stay as positive as possible, going back to what I know, thinking about my therapy tactics – and it worked," she added.

Wire also playfully asked the 11-time Olympic medalist what her "spirit animal" would be.

"I think mine would actually be a honey badger. A honey badger in the gym, sloth outside."  

Key quotes from Biles

On why returning for the Paris Olympics was so important for her:

"It was important for me because nobody forced me to be out there on that stage. I solely did it for myself and I’m in a really good spot mentally and physically. So, doing this for just me it meant the world."  

On whether any doubts crept back in the run up to the 2024 Games:

"Yes. I dealt with them in therapy. Obviously, you always have those thoughts coming in the back of your head, but just trying to stay as positive as possible – going back to what I know and thinking about my therapy tactics, and it worked."

On her bowing to Rebeca Andrade:

"I think it was really important for that moment. Obviously, it was just me and Jordan being me and Jordan, but I know it was really special and it was very impactful for kids to see that. You win with grace, you lose with grace."

On what it feels like to be mid-air during a performance:
"Sometimes it feels like time goes really fast, like the floor comes sooner than it should. But most of the time it does feel like you’re up there for a while and you’re just waiting to come back down."

On what her spirit animal is:
"I think mine would actually be a honey badger. Honey badger in the gym, sloth outside."