Simon Biles Bibliography
“I’m not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps – I’m the first Simone Biles,” said the American gymnastic powerhouse at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, and her comment struck a chord. Still just 24, Biles is already in an extremely exclusive ‘legendary’ category of Olympians, occupied by the likes of the Jamaican sprinter and American swimmer. She is already the greatest gymnast that ever lived. But she’s also doing it her own way.
Biles rose to fame in 2013 – winning two World Championship golds aged just 16, including the all-around title. She followed that with four Worlds golds in 2014 and another four in 2015.
By the time Rio 2016 – her first Olympics – rolled around, she was already a superstar and the hottest of hot favourites for the title. She didn’t disappoint: Biles won gold in the all-around, team, vault and floor, and bronze on the beam.
Her dominance is built on an utter mastery of gymnastic basics: with a tiny 4 foot 8 frame, incredible athletic ability and power, plus a low centre of gravity, she is built to be the ultimate gymnast. Add in supreme levels of hard work, a great imagination when it comes to her craft, and megawatt levels of personality, and she is almost unbeatable.
Simone Biles back on top with all-around win at the 2023 U.S. Classic
732 days ago U.S. gymnast Simone Biles won her seventh Olympic medal, a bronze on the balance beam at Tokyo 2020. A medal that came after she had withdrawn from several finals to priortise her mental health, as she dealt with what gymnasts call the 'twisties' - a condition where the body and mind fall out of sync.
The 26-year-old, who owns 19 World gold medals including five all-around titles, four Olympic golds from Rio 2016 and has four elements named in her honour, could have called it a career - moved on, and enjoyed life as a newlywed.
Instead, Saturday night (5 August 2023) at the 2023 U.S. Classic outside Chicago, Biles competed for the first time since those Tokyo Games, soaring to victory and showing that despite all the accolades, all the medals and even a conversation changing decision to put herself first while competing on her sport’s biggest stage, there’s something still driving gymnastics’ brightest star.
"It felt really good, especially after everything that’s happened over past year," Biles told U.S. broadcaster NBC afterward. "Everyone that was cheering, made posters and all of that, it just made my heart melt that they still believe in me. I always kind of knew, as soon as everything that happened in Tokyo [that I'd be back]."
Biles earned 59.100 in the all-around and a five-point margin victory at the Classic. Leanne Wong (54.100) was second, followed by Joscelyn Roberson (54.050).