Olympic Gymnastics: 31 Things you may not know about Simone Biles

American artistic gymnast Simone Biles on Tuesday, July 30 emerged as the most decorated gymnast in American history after winning her eighth medal at the ongoing Olympic.

Biles is mostly considered one of the greatest gymnasts of all time.

News Access NG has created some facts you may not know about Simone Biles.

Here are 31 facts about Simone Biles you should know

1. On Friday, March 14, 1997, Simone Biles was born in Columbus, Ohio, in the United States.

2. She is the third of four siblings.

3. Her real mother, Shanon Biles, was unable to cater for Simone or her other children as all her children went in and out of foster care.

4. In 2000, Biles’ maternal grandfather, Ron Biles, and his second wife, Nellie Cayetano Biles, started caring temporarily for Shanon’s children in the north Houston suburb of Spring, Texas, after discovering his grandchildren were in foster care.

5. Biles holds Belizean citizenship through her adoptive mother and considers Belize to be her second home.

6. Biles and her family are Catholic.

7. Biles’ Elementary School was Benfer Elementary School in Harris County, Texas.

8. On a daycare field trip at age six, Biles attempted gymnastics for the first time.

9. The teachers advised her to keep playing the sport.

10. Biles quickly signed up for Bannon’s Gymnastics’ optional training program.

11. Biles started training with coach Aimee Boorman, as little as the age of eight.

12. She has 30 World Championship medals and the most decorated gymnast in American history.

13. She is currently the fifth-most decorated female Olympic gymnast.

14. Gold medals for individual events, vault, and floor, bronze for the balancing beam, and gold with the US team—dubbed the “Final Five”—were all won by Biles at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

15. She was expected to win at least four of the six gold medals up for grabs at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, but she withdrew from the majority of the competition because she had “the twisties,” a momentary lack of awareness of her surroundings while performing twisting sequences.

16. On the balance beam, she took home a bronze medal and a silver medal with her team.

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17. In addition to winning gold medals for the United States in the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, and 2023.

18. She is a six-time World all-around champion in years (2013–2015, 2018–2019, 2023),

19. She is a six-time World floor exercise champion in years (2013–2015, 2018–2019, 2023).

20. Four-time World balance beam champion in years (2014–2015, 2019, 2023).

21. Two-time World vault champion between (2018–2019).

22. Biles is a nine-time US national all-around champion in years (2013–2016, 2018–2019, 2021, 2023–2024).

23. Biles has won three World Bronze Medals in the years (2013 and 2018 on the balance beam, and in 2015 on the vault).

24. Four World Silver Medals in (2013–2014, 2023, and uneven bars).

25. At the 2019 competition, she earned her 24th and 25th medals, surpassing the 23 World medals held by Vitaly Scherbo.

26. Biles has since secured an additional five World medals, making the medal a total of 30.
The sixth woman to win an individual all-around title at both the World Championships and the Olympics, she also holds the record for the most World all-around titles (6).

27. Since Lilia Podkopayeva in 1996, no woman has held both titles concurrently except Biles.

28. Since Daniela Silivaș in 1988, Biles is the first female gymnast to win a medal in every event at an Olympic Games or World Championship.

29. In 2023, Biles broke the 90-year-old U.S. Gymnastics title record formerly held by Alfred Jochim when she won her eighth U.S. Gymnastics title.

30. Biles has won Comeback of the Year once in the year (2024).

31. She is a three-time Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year competition in the years (2017, 2019, 2020).