By Marianna Kazazi, The Sports Financial Literacy Academy
Born in Ohio in 1997, Simone Biles is one of the world’s greatest gymnasts, leaving her mark in the world of sports, not only due to her incredible performance but also due to her strong and charismatic personality.
Biles grew up with her grandparents, who also adopted her, and who always encouraged and supported her participation in sports. Her natural abilities and talent in sports were discovered at the young age of 6, during a field trip to a gymnastics center, where Biles began imitating what the athletes were doing. Little did she know, that she was being observed by a coach who eventually sent out a letter to her house inviting her to join gymnastics. Soon afterwards, Simone started working on developing her athletic abilities and this was marked as the starting point to what would turn out to be a highly successful career.
Years later, and followed by many other athletic accomplishments, Biles received four gold and one bronze medal at the single games in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016. She became the first female US gymnast to achieve so many gold medals, as well as the first gymnast to win three consecutive all-around titles. Biles also holds 25 World Championship medals, making her the most ‘decorated’ gymnast in world championship history.
Whilst her athletic accomplishments are peaking; Simone also dominates the list of awards related to her inspirational and influential personality. Specifically, some of her recent awards include the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2021: Lifetime Achievement Award, in addition to being presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Joe Biden in 2022. She is the youngest person to ever receive the highest civilian honorary award, especially due to her support and activism on matters related to athletes’ mental health, children in foster care and sexual assault victims.
Examples indicating the strength and authenticity of her personality, include her fight against different types of social stigma. Specifically, Biles made the decision to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics, after medical evaluation, to focus on her mental health and wellbeing, taking about it openly.
After the 2016’s Olympics, confidential medical records of the USA team’s athletes, including Biles’, were hacked, revealing that she tested positive for Ritalin, an ADHD medication. Whilst hackers tried to discredit her great performance, Biles took the opportunity to fight ADHD stigma sending powerful messages through her tweets where she mentioned that having this disorder and taking medicine for it, is nothing to be ashamed of and that she is not afraid to let the public know.
Biles also had the courage to make a post through her social media platform, sharing her own personal story, raising awareness on sexual harassment and abuse with the #metoo movement. She revealed that she was one of the many young women who had been sexually abused by the USA Gymnastics team’s former doctor, Nassar who was sentenced to life in prison due to various charges of sexual abuse.
Simone’s devotion to gymnastics along with her phenomenal performance, as well as her character, have inspired many girls of color to participate in sports, as well as embrace her activism. Undoubtedly, Simone Biles is an admirable athlete, whose personality shines through all her sport-related achievements.
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FAQs
- Simone Biles is not just one of the best gymnasts of all time but one of the greatest athletes in sports history. She was the first gymnast to win eight US gymnastic titles. She has six World all-around titles, the most in women's competition.
Has Simone Biles ever gotten a 10? ›
Has Simone Biles ever gotten a 10? A perfect 10 has been scrapped from the sport for some time now, denying Biles a chance to attain iconic status. But she did sweep the 2015 World Gymnastics Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, winning gold medals in all-around, balance beam, floor exercise and team competitions.
Does Simone Biles have a baby? ›
As excited as her fans may be about the possibility, Simone Biles is not carrying around a little bundle of joy. Biles married Packers defensive back Jonathan Owens earlier this year and has been going to a number of his games of late.
What is a life lesson you can learn from Simone Biles? ›
“No pain, no gain.” “You've got to be mentally tough and play through it (i.e. injury, sickness, personal problems).” When you are injured, people are forgiving (at least for awhile). But if you step back for your mental health, you are branded a traitor, selfish, not a team player, mentally weak, a quitter—or worse.
How is Simone Biles inspirational? ›
Simone's devotion to gymnastics along with her phenomenal performance, as well as her character, have inspired many girls of color to participate in sports, as well as embrace her activism. Undoubtedly, Simone Biles is an admirable athlete, whose personality shines through all her sport-related achievements.
Why is Simone Biles a hero? ›
Biles is one of the most courageous athletes of her generation. On the gymnastics apparatus, she created routines so dangerous that judges were suspected of giving her low scores to discourage other gymnasts from following her lead.
Is Simone Biles competing in 2024? ›
Biles, 27, is gearing up to compete in the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials next week and recently won a record ninth all-around U.S. championship.
What is Simone Biles highest score? ›
Simone Biles finished with an all-around score of 119.750 on Day 2 of the U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, on Sunday to win her ninth title at the event, extending her all-time record.
Who has the most 10s in women's gymnastics? ›
Gymnasts with the most Perfect 10s
| Rank | Gymnast | FX |
|---|
| 1 | Jenny Hansen | Jenny has 28 perfect 10's in her career, however the dates of those scores are unknown |
| 1 | Trinity Thomas | 12 |
| 3/7/20 |
| 1/8/21 |
167 more rowsSimone Biles' Husband Jonathan Owens Says He's.
Biles, who is also the owner of French bulldog Lilo, spoke of her love for her dogs and how they “made my life better” in an interview back in 2021. “They are just the best dogs and they make me so happy, and they're my fur babies,” Biles told TODAY at the time. “My dogs have made my life better significantly.
What are Simone Biles' fun facts? ›
Simone Biles is often referred to as the 'GOAT' which stands for 'Greatest Of All Time. ' Biles earned the nickname through her dominant performances over the last decade. At the 2023 World Championships, Biles became the most decorated gymnast in history — man or woman — with 37 world and Olympic medals.
What was Simone Biles' childhood like? ›
Simone Biles was born in Columbus, Ohio. Both of her parents struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction. Her birth father abandoned the family, and her mother, Shannon, was unable to care for Simone and her three siblings.
How many world titles does Simone Biles have? ›
At age 27, Simone Biles has reached unparalleled heights in her sport. She skyrocketed to fame in 2013 when she won the first of her six world all-around titles. Ever since, Biles' story has been about record-breaking moments and making history at every turn.
Why is Simone Biles important for kids? ›
Simone Biles is a U.S. gymnast. Her power and ability allowed her to perform skills that no other female gymnast had completed before. Biles holds many U.S. and world records and is considered one of the greatest gymnasts to ever compete.
How is Simone Biles the best? ›
Simone Biles has made history with an incredible comeback after a two-year hiatus, cementing her GOAT status by becoming the most decorated gymnast of all time. Biles competed in the World Artistic Gymnastic Championships in Belgium where she took home four gold medals bringing her to a total of 37.
How did Simone Biles impact the world of sports? ›
By prioritizing her well-being and openly addressing the importance of mental health in athletics, Biles has become an influential advocate for mental health awareness, transcending the realm of sports and making a lasting impact on society as a whole.
What are Simone Biles' three important life events? ›
Simone Biles: A timeline of key moments in the life of the gymnastics great, from the medals to the marriage and more
- 1997 - Simone Biles was born. ...
- 2003 - Biles begins gymnastics. ...
- 2011 - Biles makes her elite gymnastics debut. ...
- 2012 - Biles added to the U.S. junior national team. ...
- 2013 - Biles wins first world title.
