Simone Biles competed at the Olympics for the third time in 2024, adding to her already impressive gold medal count. As one of the most decorated gymnasts in history, Biles continues to inspire millions with her extraordinary talent and resilience. From her groundbreaking performances to her candid discussions about mental health, she has become a symbol of strength and perseverance in the face of adversity.
Born on March 14, 1997, in Columbus, Ohio, Simone Biles faced many challenges early in her life. Raised by her grandparents, she discovered gymnastics at a young age, showing remarkable talent and determination. Her journey from a young girl with a dream to an Olympic superstar is a testament to her hard work and dedication.
Throughout her career, Biles has amassed a total of seven Olympic gold medals, cementing her legacy as one of the greatest gymnasts of all time. She first competed in the Olympics at the age of 19 during the 2016 Rio Games, where she won four gold medals. Her subsequent appearances in 2020 and 2024 further showcased her remarkable skills and commitment to the sport.
Table of Contents
- How Many Olympic Gold Medals Does Simone Biles Have?
- How Old Was Simone Biles at Her 1st Olympics?
- What Happened to Simone Biles at the 2020 Olympics?
- Simone Biles and Mental Health Awareness
How Many Olympic Gold Medals Does Simone Biles Have?
Simone Biles currently has seven gold medals. She came into the 2024 Games in Paris with four gold medals, all of which she won at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. In Brazil, she took home the top honor as a member of Team USA, as well as in the individual competitions for all-around, vault, and floor. She then added her fifth gold medal for the 2024 team competition. She won her second all-around gold medal in Paris and then added another gold medal when she won the vault competition.
Additionally, Simone earned a bronze medal on the balance beam in 2016. She also secured a silver medal with Team USA at the 2020 Olympics and scored another bronze on beam. In 2024, she also received a silver medal for her floor exercise routine.
During the team finals in July 2024, Simone participated by competing on all four apparatuses: floor, vault, balance beam, and uneven bars. She accepted her gold medal alongside teammates Suni Lee, Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, and Hezly Rivera.
How Old Was Simone Biles at Her 1st Olympics?
Simone was just 19 years old when she competed in her first Olympics in 2016. When she returned for the 2020 Olympics – which took place in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic – she was 24. At the 2024 Olympics, the professional athlete is 27.
What Happened to Simone Biles at the 2020 Olympics?
Following her success in 2016, Simone was a favorite heading into the 2020 Games. However, while competing in the team finals, she gave a shaky performance on vault and didn’t complete her advanced trick as planned. She wound up withdrawing from the remainder of the team competition, then dropped out of the individual all-around, vault, uneven bars, and floor.
Simone cited mental health issues and later confirmed that she was suffering from a gymnastics mental block called the “twisties,” which causes gymnasts to lose awareness while mid-air. She “liked” a social media post from a user that said, “The twisties literally make you want to quit gymnastics because they don’t just go away. They make it so hard to come into the gym every day knowing your mind and body are fighting against each other. Most gymnasts can definitely recall when they’ve had them and it’s never fun.”
Later, in her own post, she added, “I can’t even fathom twisting. I seriously cannot comprehend how to twist. Strangest and weirdest thing as well as feeling.” Despite her struggles, Simone returned to compete in the finals for the balance beam and wound up taking home a bronze medal. Still, she performed a scaled-down version of her planned routine.
Simone Biles and Mental Health Awareness
In her 2024 Netflix docuseries, Simone Biles Rising, Simone explained that her mental health struggles stemmed from past trauma related to being sexually abused by former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. In 2018, Nassar was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison for sexually abusing dozens of young gymnasts, and Simone had previously spoken out about her firsthand account of being one of his victims.
“It [was] a trauma response of everything that has happened,” she shared. “Just being, like, a survivor and all of the other things. Everything that has happened, I’ve just like, I’ll push it down, shove it down, wait until my career’s done, go fix it. And something like this happens and unfortunately, to me, it happened at the Olympics. I didn’t get the proper care before because I just thought I was OK.”
Simone's bravery in discussing her mental health challenges has sparked important conversations about the pressures athletes face and the need for mental health support in sports.
