Simone Biles’s Life and Award-Winning Career in Gymnastics

Simone Arianne Biles is an American gymnast and one of the foremost athletes of our time. Born in Columbus, Ohio, she spent her early life training at Bannon’s Gymnastix under coach Amiee Boorman. Simone has been undefeated in the all-around competition since 2013 and is the most decorated female gymnast in world championships history. She is the first female gymnast to win three consecutive World All-Around titles, the first female African American all-around World Champion, and the first U.S. gymnast of either gender to win a World medal in every event. She has been a member of three gold medal-winning national teams at Worlds.

Simone became the star of the 2016 Olympics, winning gold for the all-around, vault, and floor as well as bronze for the balance beam. At that same Olympics, she helped the U.S. team—the “Final Five”—take home gold. She has five Olympic medals, holding the record for the most gold medals for an American female gymnast at a single Olympic Games. Simone’s record at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships is unmatched. Simone also published her autobiography in 2016 titled Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance. The addition of her win at the 2019 US Gymnastics Championships gave her 21 all-around titles within a six -year period. She has been named one of Time magazine’s Most Influential People in the World.

Simone Biles has had an impressive career trajectory as well as history-making success in her time representing the USA in gymnastic showcases all around the world. She has won 19 World Championship medals in gold, giving her a total of 27 gold medals, with four silver medals and three bronze medals total. Here are some of Simone’s career milestones and highlights.

1. 1. 2011 American Classic in Houston, Texas: The 2011 American Classic in Houston, Texas was Simone’s first junior competition at 14 years old. She scored first on the floor exercise and balance beam, earning third all-around in the competition.
2. 2. 2012 US National Championships in St. Louis, Missouri: Simone finished third all-around at the 2012 US National Championships in St. Louis, Missouri. She also landed first on vault, and sixth on uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise. Shortly after, she joined the US Junior National Team.
3. 3. 2013 American Cup: The 2013 American Cup was Simone’s debut in the “senior” category. She came in second at this FIG World Cup event after serving as a replacement for gymnasts Kyla Ross and Elizabeth Price.
4. 4. 2013 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium: At the 2013 World Artistic Gymnastic Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, Simone won her first all-around gold, beating out fellow US teammate Kyla Ross.
   
5. 5. 2014 US Classic in Chicago, Illinois: At Chicago’s 2014 US classic, Simone gave a performance that swept the categories. She took home the all-around gold while also securing first place for the vault, floor exercise, and beam event, the latter of which she tied with Kyla Ross.
6. 6. 2014 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Nanning, China: Simone landed gold medals for the US in the all-around category, as well as balance beam and floor exercise. During the final team event, Simone led Team USA to their second consecutive world team championship.
7. 7. 2016 Pacific Rim Championships, Everett, Washington: At the 2016 Pacific Rim Championships in Everett, Washington, Simone clinched the all-around title and earned the highest score on the vault.
8. 8. 2016 Olympic Games, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Simone represented the USA gymnastics women’s team for the first time. She became a four-time Olympic gold medalist during the 2016 Olympic games, winning gold in team all-around, individual all-around, vault, and floor routine, and a bronze medal for the balance beam.
9. 9. 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany: During this competition, Simone won five out of the six available gold medals, which earned her gold medal numbers 24 and 25 in total.

Simone Biles is one of the best modern gymnasts of all time, with a few skills named in her honor. Here are some of the skills that have been named after the olympian.

1. 1. The Biles I: The Biles II is one of Simone’s signature moves on floor exercise, containing a double layout with a half twist.
2. 2. The Biles II: A follow-up to the Biles I, this second floor exercise move is a triple-double, which is a double backflip with three twists.
3. 3. Biles on the vault: This move, done on the Yurchenko vault (named after Soviet gymnast Natalia Yurchenko), consists of a roundoff back handspring with a half-turn entry, then a front stretched somersault with two twists. At the 2018 World Championships. Simone became the first woman to ever complete this move.
4. 4. Biles on the beam: The Biles on the beam is an exit move that consists of a double-double dismount, which is a double-twisting double backflip.

Aside from her athletic medals and accolades with the Olympic team, Simone has received a series of awards and accolades for her exceptional athleticism in women’s gymnastics. Below are some of the awards Simone has received over the years.

1. 1. Sportswoman of the Year (2014): This award was given to Simone by the Women’s Sports Foundation in 2014, recognizing her for her record.
2. 2. USOC Athlete of the Year (2014, 2015, 2019): Simone is a three-time recipient of the Athlete of the Year award presented by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
3. 3. James E. Sullivan Award (2015): Presented by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), this award is given to outstanding amateur athletes in the United States. Simone received this award in 2015, one year before her Olympic debut.
4. 4. Best Female Athlete ESPY Award (2017): Simone was awarded the ESPY Award for Best Female Athlete in 2017. Simone had been nominated for this award the year prior but lost to American professional basketball player Breanna Stewart.
5. 5. BET Award for Sportswoman of the Year (2020): Simone took home the BET Award for Sportswoman of the Year in 2020. Given at the BET Awards, this accolade is given to the most successful female athlete of the previous year.
6. 6. Kids’ Choice Award for Favorite Female Sports Star (2021): An annual children’s awards show known for its pop celebrity attendance, Simone won the 2021 award for Favorite Female Sports Star.

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