Simone Biles Done With Olympics

By Chloé Richards
AframNews
https://aframnews.com/

Being a gymnast means having the strength to hold on and the courage to let go.”- Simone Biles. Biles is considered the most decorated gymnast of all time, making her Olympic debut in 2016 in Rio, she was 19. She won five medals that year, four gold and one bronze becoming the first woman to win four gold medals in an international competition since 1974. She went on to compete at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 Paris Olympics. Biles told Sport’s Illustrated that she was not sure if she would be competing in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. 

Biles was born in Columbus, Ohio but was raised in a suburb of Houston, Tx (Spring, Tx) after being adopted by her grandparents Ron and Nellie Biles. Biles began gymnastics at the age of 6, which is considered “old” to start gymnastics, however her talent and dedication to the sport was seen at an early age. Biles began to rise to fame during the 2012 London Olympics, but she was too young to qualify, at the time she was 15 and the qualifying age to compete is 16. In 2013, she won four medals, two of them being gold at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. 

Biles was named Sports Illustrated (SI) 2024 Sportsperson of the Year. According to an interview Biles did with SI, the Tokyo Olympics was about proving something to the world, and the Paris Olympics was about proving something to herself. When asked about what the LA Olympics would be, she said “Because I’ve accomplished so much, there’s almost nothing left to do, rather than to just be snobby and to try again and for what? I’m at a point in my career where I’m humble enough to know when to be done.” 

Biles has been an important piece in changing the face of gymnastics; in the 2024 Paris Olympics seven of the 15 women at the U.S. Olympic Trials were Black. There are currently 5 elements named after Biles in the gymnastics points system, two on vault, one on balance beam, and two on floor exercise. Although Biles has had an outstanding career publicly, she has also faced a lot of trials and tribulations. In the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Biles withdrew from the competition for a case of what she calls the “twisties.” According to Women’s Health, “the twisties is the feeling of being lost in the air, making an athlete unable to complete skills to their usual ability.” Biles was also one of the victims sexually assaulted by former Team USA Doctor, Larry Nassar. 

Through everything Simone Biles has gone through in the public eye, good and bad she has remained poised, resilient, and dedicated to the sport of gymnastics. The last decade of her career has been her proving why she is considered the greatest of all time, her selflessness to not want to continue the sport proves that even more. Being the greatest is not just about winning but knowing when it is time to pass the baton.