On an ordinary daycare field trip at the tender age of six, an everyday game of ‘copycat’ changed Simone Biles’ life forever.

 

The Early Years

 

Simone Biles was born March 14, 1997 in Columbus, Ohio. After moving to Texas, and on that fateful field trip to Bannon’s Gymnastix, an inexperienced Biles was able to impress a few coaches by imitating some of the gymnasts in the back of the gym. Among these coaches was Aimee Boorman, (her coach to this day), who sent Biles home with a note to her parents inviting her to take classes. And, as the saying goes, “that’s all she wrote.”

 

Biles’ rose quickly through the levels of USAG as a force to be reckoned with. In just four years, Biles went from competing as a level 8 gymnast barely finishing in the top 25 at the State Championships to winning six (6) all-around titles including the 2010 US Challenge.

 

Junior Elite Career

 

After a great start to the 2011 season with an all-around title from the Metroplex Challenge in Fort Worth,TX, Biles’ continued her star-bound trajectory by qualifying for to junior national elite at the Gliders National Elite Qualifier with yet another first-place finish. In her junior elite debut, Biles’ placed first on vault and balance beam, and third in the all-around at the American Classic in Huntsville, Texas qualifying her to compete at  the VISA Championships held in St. Paul, MN just one month later. A fourteenth-place finish at VISA’s left Biles off of the US National Team roster by only one place.

 

A fire lit within her, Biles attacked the 2012 season by winning  the all-around at the American Classic, The Secret US Classic and the Houston National Invitational. In her second VISA Championships, Simone Biles finished third in the all-around, and first on vault, thereby attaining a place on Junior US National Team.
 

 

Senior Elite Career 

In March of 2013, Biles’ began her exceedingly impressive senior elite career. She was selected to represent Team USA at the AT&T American Cup in  Worchester, MA and finished second behind US teammate, Katelyn Ohashi. The following month, she and her teammates helped USA win the team title at City of Jesolo Trophy in Jesolo, Italy. She herself took the all-around, vault, beam and floor titles. One week later, she traveled to Chemnitz, Germany for the USA-Germany-Romania tri-meet. Team USA was yet again victorious, and Biles finished second in the all-around right behind teammate Kyla Ross.

 

After suffering an ankle injury during competition at the Secret US Classic just one month before, the gymnastics community wasn’t sure what to expect from Biles’ at the 2013 P & G Championships in Hartford, CT. But, Simone Biles proved she wasn’t going to let anything, not even an injury, stand in her way. Biles won the all- around title as well as, silver medals on vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise. 

 

Simone Biles continued her dominance and was selected to attend the World Championships in Belgium, Germany. She became the first American gymnast to qualify to the all-around and all four event finals since Shannon Miller in 1991 and the first female gymnast to do so since Aliya Mustafina in 2010. But qualifying wasn’t enough for Biles. She won the all-around title ahead of Kyla Ross and Russian superstar, Aliya Mustafina. Simone also brought home three more medals during the event finals, a silver medal on vault, a bronze medal on balance beam and a gold medal on floor exercise.

 

Making history

 

After months of nagging injuries kept her out of competition, Biles’ first competition of the 2014 season was the Secrect US Classic, where she won the all-around, vault, beam and floor. Just weeks later, Biles won the all-around title at the 2014 P & G Championships for the second consecutive year, amazingly enough, with a fall.

 

In October, the reigning World Champ defended her title at the 2014 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Nanning, China. Not only did she help Team USA to a nearly seven point landslide win, she also became the first American female gymnast to win her second consecutive all-around World title since 1994 and only the second American to ever do so. 

 

Biles’ did more than just repeat an accomplishment some had already achieved; Simone Biles set a benchmark of her own. Her total of 6 World gold medals is the most by an American gymnast, surpassing Shannon Miller's total of 5.
 

Fast forward

 

We’re not sure what the future holds for this phenomenal athlete. What we do know, however, is that one day she’ll be wearing the colors “true blue and gold” as she just signed her National Letter of Intent to compete for the UCLA Bruins. But before the NCAA can get their claws in her, Biles’ has opted to defer her enrollment until after 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.  We can't wait to see "Sensational Simone" back in action!

 

 

Career Highlights:

 

USOC Athlete of the Month for October 2014

2014 Women's Sports Foundation's individual Sportswoman of the Year

First woman to win four gold medals at a single World Championships (2014) since the Soviet Union’s Ludmilla Tourischeva in 1974.

Has won nine world medals (six gold, two silver, one bronze), which is tied for second most all time with Nastia Liukin and Shannon Miller (Alicia Sacramone has 10)

Her six World gold medals is the most ever by an American woman

2014 World team, all-around, balance beam & floor exercise champion and vault silver medalist

2014 U.S. all-around, floor exercise & vault champion and balance beam silver medalist

2013 World all-around & floor exercise champion, vault silver medalist and balance beam bronze medalist

2013 U.S. all-around champion and vault, uneven bars, balance beam & floor exercise silver medalist

2013 AT&T American Cup silver medalist

Related:
Interview with 2014 World All-Around Champion Simone Biles
Simone Biles' 2014 Gold Medal Winning Beam Routine