Simon Biles Is Among Most Decorated Gymnasts On Record — Details Regarding Her Life

Jul 15, 2021

Simone Biles is the most decorated gymnast in history. Over the years, people all over the globe have been able to witness her indisputable talents and highly impressive skills in the athletic world as she has been a shining star in national and global competition.. She has earned herself plenty of Olympic medals and World Championship medals, and has easily become one of the most dominating athletes in the world. From jaw-dropping stunts and tricks to her determined personality, it’s not hard to see why so many people have become a fan of the 24-year-old star. Here are 10 tidbits you should know about the popular gymnast.

Talent At A Young Age

Biles was born on March 14, 1997, in Columbus, Ohio. She and her three siblings were in and out of foster homes before separately being adopted by different family members. It wasn’t long before she discovered she had a real talent for her most notable sport, and a true passion to pursue it after visiting a gymnastics center during a daycare field trip. “While there I imitated the other gymnasts, and Coach Ronnie noticed,” Biles said. “The gym sent home a letter requesting that I join tumbling or gymnastics.”

Emerging As A Professional

Biles first began competing as a level 8 gymnast in 2007 and had cemented her position at the junior elite level by 2011, according to Biography. As the years went by, Biles’ skills only progressed, and in 2015, she became the first woman to win her third consecutive world all-around title.

The Final Five

Alongside fellow gymnasts Laurie Hernandez, Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas and Madison Kocian, Biles earned her Olympic berth in July 2016 for that year’s games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The powerhouse team went on to represent the United States with dignity, and became known as the Final Five.

Medal Upon Medal

It’s not an exaggeration to say that Biles is the most decorated gymnast in history, considering she has a combined total of 30 Olympic medals and World Championship medals. She earned three gold medals at the 2016 Olympics for her skills in the individual all-around, vault and floor exercise categories, as well as one bronze medal for her skills on the balance beam. Team USA also took home the gold for the women’s artistic team all-around.

Winning Streak

In June 2021, CBS News reported that Biles hasn’t lost a gymnastics all-around competition in eight years. The sport is highly competitive, and athletes are usually separated by decimal points, but Biles wins by whole numbers.

Showing Off Her Moves

In 2017, Biles was paired up with professional dancer Sasha Farber for the 24th season of the competition series “Dancing With The Stars.” She made it pretty far on the show and impressed the judges repeatedly with her spectacular performances, but was ultimately eliminated during the semifinals. About the show, she told Chron.com, "It (the show) really does change your life. Everybody goes in and comes out a different person." She also added, "You learn to be confident not only in gymnastics but outside as well. That comes from having to get out of your comfort zone and learn new dances, whether they are sensual, romantic, energetic, whatever, and learn them quickly."

Air Awareness

While Biles has spent plenty of time training in gyms to perfect her craft, her coaches Laurent and Cecile Landi have said that she has a natural-born talent that is difficult to teach called air awareness. “Air awareness is knowing where you are in the air,” Biles said. “Most of the time, honestly, I think my eyes go shut.” Biles added that it feels like the room is spinning, but she doesn’t crash.

Making History

Biles is already a trailblazer when it comes to the world of gymnastics, and it seems like she is not even close to fully mastering her unbelievable skills in the sport. Biography reported that Biles made history on May 22, 2021, when she became the first woman to successfully land the Yurchenko double pike move in competition when she competed at the GK U.S. Classic in Indianapolis, Indiana. The move consisted of a roundoff onto the springboard, followed by a back-handspring onto the vault and completed with a piked double backflip.

Her Lasting Legacy

Biles’ future is still incredibly bright and she has geared up for the upcoming 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, and she has already made a long-lasting legacy for herself. In fact, there are currently four gymnastics elements that are named after the athlete. She has one move on vault, one on the balance beam and two floor exercise moves that are named after her, all appropriately referred to as Biles or Biles II.

Full Of Surprises

Biles has been known to show off some incredible stunts over her many years in the sport of gymnastics, shocking fans and judges in the process. “Sometimes, I still surprise myself,” she admitted during an interview with CBS News.

What do you think about Simone Biles and her incredible career? Did you know any of these facts about her? Let us know, and be sure to pass this on to your friends and family, too!