Simone Biles

Simone Biles was born in Columbus, Ohio, and moved to Spring, Texas, at age three after she and her siblings entered foster care. Her maternal grandfather, Ron Biles, and his wife, Nellie, adopted Simone and her younger sister, Adria, in 2003. Ron and Nellie provided the stable upbringing that Biles has credited as central to her development.

Biles first encountered gymnastics during a day-care field trip at age six. After seeing older gymnasts practice, she imitated their movements and caught the attention of a coach, who encouraged her family to enroll her in classes at Bannon's Gymnastix. She began training with Aimee Boorman at age eight and entered junior elite competition in 2011.

In 2012, Biles won the all-around and vault titles at the American Classic and U.S. Classic and was named to the U.S. Junior National Team. She switched from public school to homeschooling to increase her training, eventually becoming a professional gymnast instead of enrolling at UCLA.

Biles made her senior international debut in 2013. At the World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, she became the first African American woman to win the world all-around title. She also won gold on floor exercise and introduced a new skill that became known as the Biles.

She repeated as world all-around champion in 2014 and won four gold medals at that year's World Championships. In 2015, she became the first woman to win three consecutive World Championship all-around titles, while also helping the United States win its third straight team title.

At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Biles won gold in the team competition, individual all-around, vault, and floor exercise, as well as bronze on balance beam. Her four gold medals set an American record for the most women's gymnastics gold medals at a single Olympic Games. Her teammates selected her as the first American female gymnast to carry the flag at an Olympic closing ceremony.

Biles is known for combining exceptional difficulty with consistency, particularly on vault, balance beam, and floor exercise. Five skills in the Code of Points bear her name: two on vault, one on balance beam, and two on floor exercise. In 2021, she became the first woman to complete a Yurchenko double pike in competition, a vault later named the Biles II.

At the 2018 World Championships, Biles won a medal on every event while competing with a kidney stone. She became the first American gymnast to achieve that feat at a single World Championships and set a record with her thirteenth world gold medal.

Her 2019 World Championships campaign included five gold medals. She became the sole record holder for the most World Championship medals by a gymnast, surpassing Vitaly Scherbo, and later extended her record with her sixth world all-around title in 2023. She also won a record nine U.S. national all-around championships between 2013 and 2024.

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, held in 2021, Biles withdrew from most events after experiencing the twisties, a disorienting loss of air awareness during twisting skills. She returned for the balance beam final and won a bronze medal. Her decision to prioritize her safety and mental health prompted wider discussion about mental wellness in elite sport.

Biles has also spoken publicly about being sexually abused by former USA Gymnastics physician Larry Nassar. In 2021, she testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee and criticized the system that allowed the abuse to continue. She and other survivors received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award in 2018.

After a two-year break from elite competition, Biles returned at the 2023 U.S. Classic and won the all-around title. She won her eighth U.S. national all-around title later that year, then captured four gold medals at the 2023 World Championships. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, she helped the United States win team gold and added individual gold medals in the all-around and vault, plus silver on floor exercise.

Biles co-wrote the 2016 autobiography Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance with Michelle Burford. The book reached number one on The New York Times Young Adult best-seller list and was adapted into a Lifetime biopic. She also competed on Dancing with the Stars in 2017, finishing in fourth place with Sasha Farber.

Her honors include the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which President Joe Biden presented to her in 2022. She became the youngest recipient of the nation's highest civilian honor. Biles has also received multiple Laureus World Sports Awards, including Sportswoman of the Year and Comeback of the Year.

Biles became an ambassador for Friends of the Children, a nonprofit that provides professional mentorship to children facing adversity. She has discussed her experiences in foster care with children in the program and supported the opening of a Houston chapter.

Biles married professional American football player Jonathan Owens on April 22, 2023. She began dating Owens in 2020 and announced their engagement in 2022.

Biles has said that she was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as a child. She has taken medication for the condition under a therapeutic-use exemption and has spoken publicly against stigma surrounding ADHD.