1. The Blaze That Ignited a Legacy
Simone Biles did not suddenly appear on the stage of gymnastics she exploded onto it. Her arrival on the international stage in 2013 was the beginning of something special. Though imported initially to replace American Cup injuries, she did not waste time making an impression, dominating much of the competition before a fall on the beam cut her down to runner-up to team-mate Katelyn Ohashi. That initial burst of brilliance was a taste of what was to come.
Then, Simone made waves on the international scene at Italy’s City of Jesolo Trophy. Not only did she participate, she dominated, taking titles in all-around, vault, beam, and floor. The pace continued in a tri-meet in Chemnitz, Germany, where she would not be beaten, taking a string of individual titles and guiding the U.S. to gold. Not even routine tumbles on uneven bars could prevent her from being in the spotlight.
But it wasn’t without struggle. At the 2013 U.S. Traditional, Simone had what she would later call a “poor” competition, featuring a couple of falls and a twisted ankle that removed her from vault. Instead of letting the frustration overwhelm her, she took a smart action: she saw a sports psychologist. That was a turning point. More assured than ever, she returned at the U.S. National Championships in a competition stronger than ever before, taking the all-around gold and silver medals on all four events. She was named to the Senior National Team and was put on the roster for the World Championships. A star was born not a star in terms of talent but in terms of determination.
2. Shattering History on the World Stage
By the 2013 World Championships in Antwerp, Simone was set to become a legend. She qualified to every event final and then took the all-around with an amazing performance that shocked the world of gymnastics. She was the first African American woman to be the world all-around champion, and she became a member of an elite list of American champions. In event finals, she took gold on floor exercise, silver on vault, and bronze on beam almost a sweep of medals for a rookie.
Her dominance didn’t slow in 2014. Even missing some meets due to injury, she returned to take the U.S. Classic, then to take as national all-around champion for a second time. There was then a powerhouse performance at the World Championships in Nanning, China. She led the U.S. to gold and took her second consecutive world all-around title, becoming the first woman gymnast since Svetlana Khorkina to achieve this. She added further medals to her tally with a gold on floor and beam, and a silver on vault. She pushed the sport’s boundaries each time she competed.
2015 was more of the same and more records. From the American Cup to the City of Jesolo Trophy, Simone swept all in front of her with runaway victories. At the U.S. Classic, she beat even Olympic champion Gabby Douglas and dominated nearly every event. Her winning performance at the National Championships took her to a third-straight all-around title something never done since Kim Zmeskal’s winning streak in the early ’90s.
Then there were the 2015 World Championships in Glasgow. Simone appeared in every final and contributed to the U.S. team’s second gold. She experienced some new wobbles in the all-around final but still won convincingly, becoming the first-ever women’s world all-around champion to claim three consecutively. She added gold on floor and beam to complete with it, extending her World medals to 14 and shattering all records of previous American gymnasts.
3. Rio 2016: A Global Icon Is Born
The Rio Olympics were Simone’s master tour of the world. In the months leading up to the Games, she added even more demanding routines and mastered her already stunning execution. At the 2016 U.S. Nationals, she claimed her fourth all-around gold and was joined on the Olympic team by Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, Laurie Hernandez, and Madison Kocian the now-famous “Final Five.”
In Rio, she not only competed but lighted up the stage. Simone helped Team USA to earn first qualification and then won her first Olympic gold in the team competition. In the final all-around competition, she stood atop the podium again since she accumulated over 62 points and edged out Raisman and Mustafina. On the vault, her dynamic power returned with a third gold. Even after a one-in-a-million mistake on beam which robbed her of a bronze, she returned with a second gold on the floor final.
Her five medals four gold and one bronze shattered history. Simone became the first American woman gymnast to claim four golds at a Games and just legends like Larisa Latynina and Věra Čáslavská to be among the sole figures to capture each of the top all-around honors in an Olympic quad. The 2016 Games were a victory lap, but not merely one they were a declaration. Simone was not just the best of her generation, she was among the greats that the sport has ever seen.
4. Beyond Medals: Mental Toughness and Activism
Following the Olympics, Simone had time off to truly rest; she wrote a New York Times bestseller; and even dabbled on Dancing with the Stars in ballroom dancing. But competitiveness got the better of her when competitive fire got her back into routine; within 2018, she was already back in training with new coaches to try again.
She returned with a vengeance that year. At the U.S. Classic and Nationals, she swept all the competitions, the first woman to do so since Dominique Dawes. At Worlds in Doha, battling a kidney stone, she took all-around gold and various event medals, putting it officially that she had broken Vitaly Scherbo’s record for most World golds ever achieved by a gymnast.
Her reign went on until 2019. She made her debut with skills like the “Biles II” floor and new dismount on beam, which are now both named after her in the Code of Points. She claimed her sixth national all-around title and swept the World Championships in Stuttgart. She is the most decorated World Championships gymnast with 25 World medals and 19 golds at 25.
But Simone’s most significant moment of control was not from the podium perhaps, but in 2021 at the Olympics in Tokyo. After struggling through the “twisties,” a potentially lethal psychological shutdown, she chose to withdraw from a sequence of events so that she would be able to take care of her own mental health. The action initiated world discussion regarding pressure, athlete wellness, and psychological toughness. When she returned to make the bronze on beam, it was not a medal to her it was a testament to courage, integrity, and determination. That experience revolutionized the way the world perceives champions.
5. The Legend Returns
After Tokyo, Simone stopped competing, but her story was far from over. She stunned the nation in 2023 by returning to the floor at the U.S. Classic, capturing the all-around title by five points and sticking the Yurchenko double pike, a vault so difficult not even another woman had ever tried it. At nationals, she broke an 89-year record by winning her eighth national all-around title at age 26, proving she was still playing at the best.
Her journey continued to the 2023 World Championships in Antwerp, where she qualified all finals except uneven bars and helped the U.S. team win its seventh straight team gold. She then won her sixth world all-around title, cementing herself as the best gymnast of all time male or female.
With every flip, every spin, every return, Simone Biles has rewritten greatness. She’s more than just a medal winner; she’s a movement. She has taught the world that being great is not about doing flawless routines it’s about getting up again, setting higher standards, and believing in something bigger than sport. Whether she’s breaking records or fighting for mental health, Simone is inspiring not only as a gymnast, but as an icon of what can be achieved when strength and confidence combine.
