Gymnastics is about executing perfect movements, with moves that are so complex they are meant for super humans. Simone Biles is known for her perfect movements.
Simon Biles is the world’s most decorated gymnast with 25 career world championship medals, the most by any human. Her balance beam and the floor exercise on Sunday increased her medal count and threw Vitaly Scherbo of Belarus off this coveted position which he held for 2 decades.
Biles was born on March 14, 1997, in Columbus, Ohio. She and her sister, Adria, were raised by their grandparents. They had an absent father and their mum battled with drug abuse. The grandparents, who later adopted the girls, are Biles’ most passionate supporters in her rise in the competitive world of gymnastics.
According to the official USA Gymnastics website, usagym.com, Biles was discovered at the age of six during a field trip with her day care group to the gymnastics centre; “While there, I imitated the other gymnasts, and Coach Ronnie noticed. The gym sent home a letter requesting that I join tumbling or gymnastics.”
Since then, she never stopped sharpening her talents. She cemented her standing at the junior elite level, finishing third place in the all-around competition at the American Classic in 2011 and in 2012. Her impressive performance at the American Classic, the Alamo Classic, the Houston National Invitational and the Secret U.S. Classic was a sight to behold; she won all the all-round events!
She kickstarted her senior gymnastics career with a historic victory at the 2013 U.S. P&G Championships – she became the first female Black-American athlete to win gold in the all-around competition at the world championship.
1n 2016, Simone Biles announced herself to the world in grand style. She bagged four gold medals, and this cemented the U.S women’s gymnastics team gold drive at the Olympics. She also became the first woman in two decades to win back-to-back Olympic all-around and world titles.
She, in 2019, became the first woman to claim five national all-around titles in Stuttgart (bringing her world championship medals to 21). And now, Biles has her name etched in history with 25 Olympic and World Championship medals to her belt – a record-breaking feat for a female gymnast in a world dominated by men.
Simone Biles is an undisputable G.O.A.T (Greatest Of All Times) who has two separate moves named after her, being the first woman to have attempted them. She is worth over $4 million in endorsement deals with companies such as Hersey’s, Nike, GK Elite Sportswear, Octagon, Kellogg’s, Procter & Gamble, The Hershey Company, and United Airlines.
Although, not public, her personal life is as great as her professional life. Biles is currently dating a fellow gymnast, Stacey Ervin.
In January 2018, Biles revealed on Twitter that she was one of the many young women who had been molested by former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, who had recently been sentenced to 60 years in prison on child pornography charges and 25 to 40 years in prison for criminal sexual conduct. In August 2019, Biles’ brother Tevin Biles-Thomas was arrested on triple homicide charges.
Biles competed in the 24th season of Dancing with the Stars, on which she was paired with pro Sasha Farber, ultimately reaching the finals.
She has practically everyone rooting for her at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
