Simone Biles, the 24-year-old US gymnast, has a long list of accomplishments racked up. From being highly decorated with medals from the World Championship and Rio Olympic Games to having moves named after her. There is no competition. At this point, she competes against herself, and she just keeps winning. I could spend all day writing about the firsts Simone Biles has checked off.
She was recently the first ever to land a Yurchenko Double Pike in a competition, which is the most challenging vault routine. With the 25 medals she won at the World Championship, she is also the most decorated American Gymnast. The list of her achievements goes on and makes it undeniable that Simone Biles is the G.O.A.T (greatest of all time).
Not only does Simone dominate in her sport, but she also is an incredibly powerful and inspirational person. In almost every interview with TODAY, she discusses how much it means to mentor and inspire the younger generation. Simone wears a rhinestone goat named Goldie on her leotard to represent her self-confidence and show younger people that they should embrace what they excel in. As one of the first African American gymnasts to win an all-around title, she recognises how representation is important. Simone is incredibly proud to be a part of a black-owned gym built by her parents in 2014. She stresses how much representation matters and hopes that she can show other young gymnasts of colour that they can achieve what she has.
Although Simone seems to compete flawlessly with ease, she has had to endure many struggles at the Olympics. Unfortunately, she was one of the many gymnasts to experience abuse at the hand of Larry Nassar. On Priyanka Chopra Jonas’s YouTube special, ‘If I Could Tell You Just One Thing’, Simone explains how she did not want to come forward at first, thinking everyone would see her as a sexual abuse survivor instead of the gymnast she is. However, after a change of heart, she decided to come forward, sharing her story in hopes it could help younger girls. She is now open about her struggle and advocates for mental health. Simone discusses her experience with therapy in her interviews and speaks highly about it, hoping that everyone can undergo the benefits. In another TODAY interview, Simone shares her motives for returning to the Olympics: to push for change within the sport so what happened does not happen to future generations.
The greatness does not stop there. Simone Biles is also part of the fabulous Athleta campaign, The Power of She. The campaign aims to uplift women and celebrate the powerful impact of sisterhood. The mantra is ‘Alone We Are Strong, United We Thrive.’ Simone is extremely strong and powerful. But, there is no doubt she also uplifts her peers and mentors the younger generation. When one of us thrives, we all thrive. To get a closer look into Simone’s life, watch her special, ‘Simone VS Herself’ on Facebook Watch. Meanwhile, catch me peeled to the TV watching Simone Biles thrive in Tokyo starting 23 July 2021.