Ms. Biles grew up in Spring, Texas, in the Houston area, after she and her sister Adria were adopted by their grandparents, Ronald and Nellie Biles. Simone became interested in gymnastics at age six during a day-care field trip to Bannon’s Gymnastix. She would remain there for 11 years under her coach, Aimee Boorman. Simone wood went on to compete in the floor exercise and win gold, while also winning a bronze medal in the vault at the Women’s Junior Olympic National Championships in 2010. Ms. Biles would be recognized as an elite level athlete and was brought into the fold of serious competition in 2011. In less than two years she dominated the sport. Her ability to stay consistent, perform highly difficult routines and moves, mixed with an amazing personality set her apart from the crowd. But it was mainly her ability to perform difficult routines in all four events, the uneven bars,vault, floor exercise, and the balance beam.

Ms. Biles really broke out and showed the world who she was in 2019. At the championships, she became the first gymnast in more than 60 years to win five gold medals,  which included one in the all-around event. Ms. Biles would go on to  by-pass Vitaly Scherbo of Belarus to become the gymnast with the most world championship medals (25) and counting. In 2019 she also won five medals at the U.S. national championships, four of which were gold. The Pandemic put a hold on events for 2020, but this  had little effect on Biles. During the 2021 U.S. Classic, she became the first female gymnast to land the sport’s most difficult vault, the Yurchenko double pike, during competition. Later that year she competed at the U.S. national championships, where she would win her seventh all-around title. She also captured three other gold medals and one bronze.

The 2020 Tokyo Games, which were delayed until 2021 were to be another big stage where Biles was expected to continue her dominance. However, she withdrew from most events due to “the twisties,” a mental block in which gymnasts lose their spatial orientation during aerial moves. This decision not to compete sparked discussions about the pressure placed on athletes and their mental health concerns. There was a lot of criticism that came her way, but Simone handled it with grace and civility like the champion individual she is. Biles did return for the final event, the balance beam, and she won a bronze medal.