Australia and the World Past and Present

Every four years, athletes from around the world get a chance to compete against their peers and walk away with a gold medal.

This year, more than 10,000 athletes took part in the Paris Olympics.

My favourite athlete story has been that of Simone Biles.

The American gymnast holds 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals.

Many consider her the greatest gymnast of all time.

Simone has won medals across many different events and disciplines. She has not only perfected existing techniques – she has also pushed the boundaries of her sport and added new moves of her own.

Adding one technique to the sport would be a huge achievement for any gymnast. Biles has added five. Skills named after her include the Biles and Biles II (for the vault). There is also the Biles (H) for the beam. Finally, there is the Biles (G) and Biles II – both for the floor exercise.

Simone has explosive power. She has combined natural talent with years of hard work in order to reach the pinnacle of her sport.

While she was considered to have had great body awareness in the air, during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics she experienced what gymnasts call the ‘twisties’. This loss of one’s spatial awareness while in the air can have devastating consequences if it leads to a fall and physical injury. Simone decided to withdraw from the Tokyo competition.

Her decision to withdraw shocked many. Many criticised her on social media. Many couldn’t understand why she would go all the way to the Olympics only to withdraw. Some thought that she was a quitter. Some thought that she had let down her country.

Simone was once again competing on the world stage – at the biggest competition in the world. The pressure on her would have been immense not to mention the pressure that she probably put on herself.

Simone’s decision to withdraw could not have been an easy one. But in making the decision to pull out, she had prioritised her mental health. Her decision to say no took courage.

Simone’s achievements in gymnastics leave many in awe but her triumph over the challenges she has faced off the mat may be even more inspiring.

Simone’s birth mother had had difficulty in caring for her and her siblings when Simone was very young. Simone had been in and out of foster care.

In 2000 Simone’s maternal grandfather and his wife started caring for her and three years later they formally adopted her and her younger sister.

In 2012 Simone started home schooling in order to devote more time to training for gymnastics and three years later she earned her high school diploma.

Later, it was revealed that Simone had been one of a number of girls that had been sexually abused by a USA Gymnastics team physician.

After Tokyo, Simone took a two-year break from gymnastics. She prioritised her mental health and was doing regular therapy sessions.

By 2023 she was back competing. It is amazing that she could regroup so quickly following Tokyo, turn things around, get back to training and be at the top of her field again before the next Olympic Games began.

There are many reasons to find Simone Biles inspirational and her feats off the mat are just as significant and what she has achieved on the mat.