Skip to main content
Clear icon
77º

10 things to know about Simone Biles

The Texan and Olympic Gymnast is looking to add to her 25 world medals at 2021 summer Olympics

Simone Biles reacts after finishing her her performance on balance beam during the Superstars of Gymnastics at The O2 Arena on March 23, 2019 in London, England. (Laurence Griffiths, 2019 Getty Images)

Texas’ own Simone Biles is hoping to add to her record-setting medal collection at this year’s 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

While Biles is known for being an Olympic champion, how much do you really know about the gymnast?

Recommended Videos



Here are 10 things you should know about Simone Biles:

  • Biles has 25 world medals- Biles won a Gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics but that’s not the only medal she has under her belt. Biles has won the most medals in gymnastic history with 25 world medals. 19 of those medals are gold.
  • Biles began gymnastics in 2003- Winning all those medals doesn’t just happen overnight. Biles began gymnastics when she was only 6-years-old.
  • Biles is a Houston-area native- Simone grew up in Spring, Texas, just a short drive from Houston. She has also been know to support her hometown sports teams.
Honorary Houston Texans Cheerleader Simone Biles stands on the field before an NFL football game between the Houston Texans and the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) (Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
  • She trains at the World Champions Centre - Simone has been training at the Centre in Spring, Texas, since 2014, when her parents Ron and Nellie built the centre for her to train in.
  • Biles trains at the same gym as fellow teammate - Simone invited teammate Jordan Chiles to train at her gym back in 2018. The two are considered good friends and now have the chance to compete side by side.
  • Biles has her own competition gymnasts can join - The Simone Biles International Invitational is held each year where gymnasts from all over can compete to win medals. 2022 will mark the 5th year the event has been held.
  • Biles favorite event is floor exercise- It’s no surprise Simone’s favorite event is floor exercise. She won a gold Olympic medal for the event back in 2016.
  • Simone has been dubbed “The GOAT” - Not everyone gets the privilege of being the G.O.A.T or ‘Greatest of All Time’. However, after winning 25 world medals, Simone has definitely earned the title of “GOAT”.
Simone Biles waits her turn to compete on the balance beam during the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, Friday, June 4, 2021, in Fort Worth, Texas. Biles wore the likeness of a goat laced into her leotard during the competition. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
  • Simone even has her own GOAT emoji on Twitter- Biles is the first Olympian to receive their own personal emoji. If you tweet #Simone or #SimoneBiles during the Olympics, you can get her exclusive goat emoji.
  • Simone is the only woman to land the Yurchenko Double Pike- This year, Simone made history by becoming the only female gymnast to successfully land the Yurchenko Double Pike. The move is “a roundoff onto the springboard, followed by a back handspring onto the vault and ends with a piked double backflip for the landing.”

More on KSAT:


About the Author
Emily Martin headshot

Emily Martin is the KSAT Insider Membership Producer. She earned a journalism degree from Texas State University, where she was news director at KTSW, the campus radio station. She has also interned at KXAN and KUT in Austin.

Recommended Videos