-> 

v

Every four years, the Summer Olympics capture the attention of the world. Some of the sports from the games prove to be more popular than others, and gymnastics is among the most watched in many countries, including the United States. It makes sense as the country has been among the top at the sport for years, and has produced a lot of elite talent. Many of these gymnasts go on to become celebrities in their own right, and these days perhaps the most well known gymnast in the world is Simone Biles.

 -> 

v

Biles was born in Columbus, Ohio on March 14, 1997 and didn’t have the easiest childhood growing up as she spent much of her early life in foster care as her mother suffered from addiction issues and her father hadn’t been a part of her life. It was Biles’s grandfather that took over as the caretaker in her (and her siblings’) life, moving the children to Texas where Biles started training in gymnastics.

Almost right away, Biles was a huge standout and she was being coached by trainers that would help her to enhance her abilities. Biles caught on quickly, and started competing against other girls her age before officially starting her career at 14 years old in junior competition. Though she didn’t start off by winning her competitions, the future did indeed appear bright for Biles.

 -> 

v

After just one year removed from her junior debut, Biles did take that next step forward and began winning in United States competition, including the American Classic in 2012. With that, she advanced into the senior portion of her career, which allowed her to compete at an international level. Biles put the world on notice in her first year as she headed to Antwerp for the 2013 World Championships.

Biles took home gold medals in that competition for both all-around and the floor exercise, which made people realize that it would be likely that Biles became part of the Olympic team down the road. Over the course of the next two World Championships in 2014 and 2015, Biles racked up eight more gold medals in Nanning and Glasgow, including both all-around and floor exercise medals, as well as the balance beam and one team win for the United States.

 -> 

v

Then, the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil rolled around and Biles was part of the squad. She became an international sensation because of her performance, as she won an individual bronze for the balance beam, and then won the gold in the vault, floor exercise and in the all-around competition. The United States won the gold for the team competition thanks mainly to Biles. The performance also was recognized by Team USA, who allowed her to carry the country’s flag when the Olympics held the closing ceremonies.

“It just didn’t feel like real life while we were doing it,” Biles said of participating in the Olympics. “You think it’s some different world, which it was. I almost think you forget how much work you have to put into it until you’re there.”

 -> 

v

Because of the whirlwind that comes with being an Olympic gymnast that had a standout performance, Biles took some time away from gymnastics to soak it all in. She was making appearances on television left and right, including competing on the popular “Dancing with the Stars” series and even writing her first book. Then, in 2018, Biles showed she still had what it took to compete in gymnastics, and was back on the Team USA roster.

Since then, Biles has won gold medals at the 2018 World Championships in Doha, adding four to her resume, as well as another silver and bronze medal. Biles didn’t think she was worthy of taking home the gold, though, as she had fallen twice during competition. “It’s not the gymnast that I am, to go out there and kind of bomb a meet like this,” she said. “Even though I won, I wish it were a little bit different.”

 -> 

v

Overall, she’s won 27 medals in international competition, with 20 of those being gold. Because of this, many say that Biles is perhaps the greatest gymnast to ever live. But the question that many have, is whether or not Biles will compete at the 2020 Olympics, which would make her one of gymnastics’ oldest competitors despite being in her early 20s.

Biles admits, though, that it’s not easy getting back into the swing of things and staying at the top even if she’s in her overall physical prime. “It’s hard mentally and physically,” she said. “I remember some of the days I’m like, ‘Why am I here? What am I doing? What did I do? But in the end it’s all worth it, so I’m happy with my decision to return.”

All of the attention and accolades that Biles has had in recent years still comes as a surprise to her, as well. “As a kid I saw the Olympics and all the girls in college gymnastics but I never thought that I would be here and get the opportunity to compete at the Olympics,” she said. “It was just that I loved gymnastics and it was just something I wanted to do.”

As for the advice that she’d give to those wanting to get to the top of the gymnastics world, or any world really, is to work hard and have fun. “I would say to always follow your dream,” she added. “And dream big because my whole career, including any of the things that I’ve accomplished, I never thought in a million years that I would be here. So it just proves that once you believe in yourself, and you put your mind to something, you can do it.”