Her teammates and coaches wholeheartedly supported it. When, one rotation into the meet, Biles withdrew from the competition, gymnasts and gymnastics fans lauded her decision. Yes, I think this is an injustice in the world."Īll of that is backdrop to last Tuesday's team final in Tokyo. "The world listens to her because she is honest about her life. "If she weren't putting her life out there, then when she calls out what she considers an injustice on social media, it wouldn't have as big of an impact," Biles' former coach Aimee Boorman once told me. Biles' revelation, and the governing body's reaction to it, emboldened other former elites to speak up and share their truth. coaches Bela and Martha Karolyi and cut ties with the couple. Three days later, USAG closed the Houston ranch facility owned by longtime U.S. She wrote that it broke her heart that she would have to return to "the same training facility where I was abused." ![]() What started as a few posts about National Pizza Day and vacations to Belize led to a January 2018 tweet that revealed Biles, too, was a survivor of sexual abuse by USA Gymnastics national team doctor Larry Nassar. She feels like she needs to do it for her and for the other girls." "She understands how powerful her voice is, and I think it feels good," Biles' coach, Cecile Laurent, said in 2019. Her prominence gave permission to other gymnasts to do the same. She showed bravery in her performances, and also in her choice to share her life outside of the gym. ![]() While innovating jaw-dropping new skills and winning an astounding seven national championships, five world all-around titles and Olympic all-around gold - all while giggling and cheering on her competitors - she (and her coaches and support team) demonstrated a different way to win. It was defiant in its teenage mundanity, proof that Biles would not be folded and molded to fit the pretty box of a gymnast whose life was curated and controlled from morning 'til midnight.īiles changed the archetype of what it means to be an elite gymnast. The fear and control that surrounded the sport perpetuated silence and conformity, even for those whose leotards had long collected dust.ĭuring my reporting for the 30 for 30 podcast series "Heavy Medals," more than one former Olympian brought up the post, unprompted, as a sign of a long overdue shift. In their experiences, gymnasts were not supposed to talk (or think) about junk food or vacations or boyfriends, have lives outside of the gym or opinions they revealed in public spaces. It received more than 100,000 likes, but most people who scrolled by it likely registered it as nothing more than a teenager oversharing about her lunch.įor generations of former gymnasts, however, that post was bold. "Happiness," she wrote, and added a few emojis. to team gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, she posted a Boomerang on Instagram of a greasy pepperoni pizza. It started, perhaps, with a post about pizza.įour months before Biles led the U.S. But no matter her decision, the foundation for Biles' remarkable legacy was laid before she ever stepped onto an Olympic competition floor and reaches far beyond her medals and accolades. To have one more opportunity to compete at the Olympics meant the world to me."īiles did not confirm whether she will continue to train ahead of world championships in Kitakyushu, Japan, in October, or the Paris Olympics in 2024. "I was just trying to hit one more beam set. "I wasn't even expecting to medal on beam," Biles said after the meet. Instead, the lasting images will be of her cheering on her teammates and competitors and returning to competition under great scrutiny and pressure to earn perhaps the final Olympic medal of her career. Biles did not allow herself to be defined by what she did not do in Tokyo. On Tuesday, Simone Biles closed out her Olympics on her terms, as a two-time bronze medalist on beam and as the most accomplished American gymnast in history with seven medals, including four golds. Simone Biles has changed what it means to be an elite gymnast ![]() ![]() You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser
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