When most people think of athletes, they don't usually think of a gymnast. Though to many the sport of gymnastics is rarely seen as anything beyond pretty girls doing pretty dances with some tumbling. To anyone who actively follows gymnastics, you'd know that the males and females in gymnastics are some of the most disciplined, strongest, athletes there are.
Most female gymnasts peak in their early to mid-twenties, meaning if they want serious careers in the sport, they have to focus most if not all of their youth. In the United States, many gymnasts over twenty-one have a much lesser chance of making an Olympic team than another who is sixteen. Most male gymnasts careers last well into their mid to late twenties. In fact, this year the U.S Olympic Men's team consists of only men the age of or over twenty-three, while in the women's team consists of women younger than or the age of twenty-one.
There is one gymnast that stands out. Simone is a nineteen-year-old who was born in Ohio. She was later adopted by her grandparents and raised in Texas. She fell in love with gymnastics at the age of six, and from there carried out her dream. I'm sure at the age of six Simone, her grandparents, and siblings never would've imagined that she'd be where she is now. As of June 10th, Simone won the all-around at the Olympic Trials and secured herself a spot on the 2016 Olympic Team. Of course, this is only her most recent victory. Ever since Simone has stepped onto the3 mat, she began making history.
In Simone's first competition, as a Junior, she took 5th place on both vault and floor exercise. In her third serious meet, the Junior qualifiers for the National Championships, she took the gold for All Around. This means, of all the events she competed on (floor, vault, and balance beam) her combined scores were the highest of all competitors. Though she took third in the National Championship, at fifteen years old Simone was on the Junior National team for the first time.
Though I could go on and on about her decorated career, the overall facts about Simone Biles is that she has made history. She has been the World Champion for three consecutive years, and the National Champion for four consecutive years. Though she isn't the only female gymnast to win three World Championships, she is the only one to win three consecutive championships. She is also the first African American to win All-Around World Championships.
Beyond being the All-Around Champion, Simone has a total of fourteen World Medals. Ten of those medals are gold, which makes her the record holder for most gold medals at the World Championships. She also has a floor move named after her, which she created and continues to be the only one to perform in competition. This move consists of a double back flip in a laid out position with a half twist. Though video shows she is capable of throwing an extra front flip immediately after the move, she matches it with a split leap immediately after landing it. Throwing in the extra skill of a leap shows just how far ahead of other gymnasts she is.
Some gymnasts joke that Simone is on so much of her own level, that any gymnast who comes in second place is still a winner. Biles is nineteen years old now and is headed to Rio for the Olympics next month. She won Athlete of the Year in December of 2015, which makes her the 4th gymnast to win the award ever.
Though Simone can bring all the sass and glitz of the stereotypically labeled gymnast, she is just as muscular and well trained as all other athletes. She has spent her life in a gym since she was seven years old, as well as even giving up her public school career for her athletic one. Simone graduated high school as both a homeschooler and a World Champion.
Being one of the most decorated gymnasts in the world, her overall talent and power almost guarantee her gold at the 2016 Olympics. She was placed on the Olympic team after her overall score of 123.25, which is 2.1 points over second place Laurie Hernandez, and is a big score in the world of gymnastics. Her score on vault on day two of the trials was one-tenth of a point from perfect (a whopping 16.2 our of 16.3), both this score and her massive final score is further proof that she is one of the most incredible gymnasts in the world, and in all history.
Besides her incredible gymnastics career, Simone is one of the most powerful female African-American athletes. Her name should be known to all aspiring athletic children, both men, women, and all races. She is a powerhouse of raw talent and desire that continues to make history and is a major role model for people of all ages.
Come August, Simone will be leading the Women's Gymnastics Olympic Team to Rio along with her teammates Madison Kocian, Laurie Hernandez, and two returning Olympic Champions, Gabrielle Douglas, and Alexandra Raisman. Simone is the favorite for gold, and with her history, power, and talent, she could be walking away with many, if not all of the gold medals from Rio.
Simone Biles is a young, inspiring athlete. Her credentials alone are enough to make anyone want to be the best in their field, but her raw talent, perky personality, and jaw-dropping ambition to be the best, as well as have as fun much as possible, make her one of the most legendary and iconic athletes in the world. She won't be going away anytime soon, and as long as she keeps going, she'll keep on inspiring for many years to come.
