Simone Biles has been the big star in artistic gymnastics, winning three gold medals and one silver, making her the most successful athlete of all time. The American was on the verge of achieving more, up to five gold medals in the same event that would have taken her into Olympic history.
Simone Biles withdrew from the Tokyo trials, citing mental health concerns, and then dedicated time to caring for herself, both physically and mentally. This decision not only allowed her to regain her strength and well-being but also undoubtedly contributed to her outstanding performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
After a difficult childhood, she publicly denounced the mistreatment of her coach. The American gymnast has her own gospel, adapted for the 21st century, in the form of a documentary series on Netflix. Though her successful and triumphant comeback did not end with her ascent to Olympus, for as she has shown throughout her career, Biles is human.
A human being who borders on the divine, who christens her routines with her nickname, and who has shone with three gold medals and a silver, taking her Olympic tally to eleven, and up to 40 if you count the World Championships.
Her last act of humanity, on the day she failed to win the two gold medals she had been aiming for, was to kneel on the podium and pay tribute to the woman who had followed her, the Brazilian Rebeca Andrade, who had won gold on the floor.
Her name became synonymous with perfection, so much so that competing against her was a prize in itself for her rivals. In her wake other stars of artistic gymnastics were in danger of being overshadowed, such as the Chinese team, her team-mate Suni Lee, Rebeca Andrade from Brazil, Kaylia Nemour from Algeria and Angel Barajas from Colombia, not forgetting the role played by Carlos Edriel from the Philippines.
Biles took gold in the women’s all-around (in a session in which bronze went to her USA teammate Sunisa Lee and silver to Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade). She also took gold in the women’s vault, with another US teammate, Jade Carey, taking bronze and Andrade taking silver. She shone in the women’s team competition with another gold in the all-around and a silver on the floor.
