Simone Biles
Born 1997 · Age 28
American artistic gymnast; most decorated gymnast in history with record World and Olympic medals. Multiple-time World and Olympic all-around champion, originator of multiple high-difficulty eponymous skills; advocate for athlete mental health and abuse survivors.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Columbus, Ohio
Simone Arianne Biles was born in Columbus, Ohio, the third of four siblings.
Placed into foster care; grandparents begin caring for the children
After instability with her birth mother, Simone and siblings went in/out of foster care; maternal grandfather Ron Biles and his wife Nellie began caring for Simone and sister Adria in Spring, Texas.
Formally adopted by Ron and Nellie Biles
In 2003 Simone and her younger sister Adria were formally adopted by their grandfather Ron Biles and his wife Nellie; the family moved to Spring, Texas.
Introduced to gymnastics (day-care field trip)
On a day-care field trip Simone tried gymnastics, was encouraged by coaches, and began training at Bannon's Gymnastix in Houston.
Began training with coach Aimee Boorman
Simone started long-term coaching under Aimee Boorman, who would later coach her through junior and early senior career.
Elite senior/junior entry — 2011 American Classic
Began her elite career at the 2011 American Classic (Houston): 3rd all-around, 1st vault & beam, 4th floor, 8th bars.
Named to U.S. Junior National Team
After performances at the 2012 American Classic/U.S. Classic and USA Gymnastics National Championships, Biles was named to the U.S. Junior National Team.
Switched to home schooling to increase training
In 2012 Simone left public school for homeschooling to increase training hours from ~20 to ~32 per week.
First eponymous skill enters Code (the 'Biles' double-layout half twist)
Introduced a skill (double layout with half turn on floor) that later received eponymous recognition as 'the Biles'.
Senior international debut — 2013 American Cup (silver)
Replaced injured teammates and finished 2nd at the American Cup after a fall on beam.
2013 U.S. National All-Around Champion (first senior national title)
Crowned national all-around champion; won silver in each individual event.
Surgery for bone spurs
Underwent surgery for bone spurs in right tibia after the 2013 World Championships; out for ~3 weeks.
2013 World Championships — World all-around champion
In debut Worlds (Antwerp) Biles won the all-around gold, floor gold, vault silver, beam bronze and 4th on bars; first African American woman to win Worlds all-around.
Moved training base to World Champions Centre; left Bannon's Gymnastix
Following changes, Biles and coach Aimee Boorman continued training at the newly opened World Champions Centre in Spring, Texas (facility opened by adoptive grandparents).
2014 World Championships — repeat world all-around champion
At Nanning Worlds Biles led USA to team gold, won her second consecutive world all-around title, beam gold and floor gold, and vault silver.
2015 U.S. National Champion — third consecutive national all-around title
Won her third straight U.S. all-around championship (2013–2015).
2015 AT&T American Cup — champion
Won the American Cup with a dominant score of 62.299.
2015 World Championships (Glasgow) — all-around & apparatus golds
Helped USA to team gold, won third straight World all-around title; won beam and floor; vault bronze — became first woman to win three consecutive World all-around titles.
Turned professional / declined NCAA eligibility (announcement in 2015, turned pro 2015-2016 period)
Verbally committed to UCLA (Aug 4, 2014) and signed NLI Nov 2014 but announced turning professional on July 29, 2015, forfeiting NCAA eligibility (noting the formal pro status and endorsements grew through 2016).
Endorsements and media presence begin (e.g., Tide commercial)
Appeared in a Tide commercial 'The Evolution of Power' ahead of the 2016 Olympics; began major endorsement and media profile.
Pacific Rim Championships — all-around champion
Won Pacific Rim all-around; USA won team title; debuted harder second vault and new floor routine.
2016 U.S. National Champion (all-around)
Won the U.S. all-around by 3.9 points; claimed vault, beam and floor titles.
Secret U.S. Classic — beam winner (competed bars and beam)
Competed only uneven bars and balance beam at Classic; placed 1st on beam.
Named to 2016 U.S. Olympic Team (Rio)
Selected alongside Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian and Aly Raisman to represent USA at Rio 2016.
2016 Olympic Vault & Floor Golds; Beam Bronze
Won vault gold, floor gold and beam bronze in event finals; totaled four golds and five medals at Rio 2016 (tied multiple records).
2016 Olympic Team Gold (Rio)
Biles competed all four events in the team final and helped USA 'Final Five' win team gold by a wide margin.
2016 Olympic Individual All-Around Gold
Won Olympic individual all-around gold in Rio; recorded the highest scores on vault, beam and floor in final.
Flag bearer, Team USA closing ceremony (Rio)
Chosen by teammates to be USA flag bearer at the Rio Olympics closing ceremony — first American female gymnast to be so honored.
Medical record hack; discloses ADHD and TUE for medication
Following a hack that exposed WADA records, Biles publicly disclosed her ADHD treatment and that she had a therapeutic use exemption (TUE).
Publication: Courage to Soar (autobiography, co-written)
Co-wrote autobiography Courage to Soar with Michelle Burford; the book later reached #1 on NYT Young Adult best-sellers in Jan 2017.
Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year (2017)
Won Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year for 2017 (first of multiple Laureus awards).
Courage to Soar reaches #1 NYT Young Adult best-seller list
The memoir reached number one on The New York Times best sellers Young Adult list (week of Jan 8, 2017).
Hiatus from competition
Took a year off from competition after the Rio Olympics (2017 season largely inactive).
Competed on Dancing with the Stars (season 24) — finished 4th
Participated in DWTS paired with Sasha Farber; eliminated May 15, 2017, finishing in fourth place.
Won 2017 ESPY Awards — Best Female Athlete & Best U.S. Female Olympian
Received major recognition at the ESPYs for her 2016 accomplishments.
Coach transition — Laurent Landi hired
Longtime coach Aimee Boorman moved to Florida; Biles hired Laurent Landi (and later Cecile Canqueteau-Landi) as new coach in October 2017.
Added back to U.S. National Team
After video review of her training, Biles was reinstated to the U.S. National Team on March 1, 2018.
2018 U.S. Classic — all-around & event wins on return
Returned to competition at the U.S. Classic and won the all-around, floor and beam and recorded highest vault score under the new Code.
2018 U.S. National Championships — swept all five golds
Won all five possible national golds (AA, VT, UB, BB, FX), first woman since 1994 to do so; set record for most national all-around titles (5 at the time).
2018 World Championships (Doha) — team & multiple golds; 'Biles' vault named
Despite a kidney stone emergency she helped USA to team gold, won all-around, vault (first world vault title), floor (gold), uneven bars silver and beam bronze. Her newly performed vault was named 'the Biles' and assigned difficulty 6.4.
Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year (2019)
Awarded Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year again in 2019 following dominant World Championship performances.
2019 Stuttgart World Cup — champion
Won the Stuttgart World Cup (All-Around) with a dominant margin.
2019 World Championships (Stuttgart) — 5 golds; became most-decorated World medalist
Led USA to team gold and won AA, vault, beam and floor (five golds at a single Worlds), debuted two eponymous skills (Biles II floor and Biles beam dismount) and surpassed Vitaly Scherbo's record to become the most-decorated gymnast in World Championship history.
Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year (2020)
Named Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year for 2020.
Tokyo World Cup selection & event cancellation (COVID-19)
Chosen to represent the U.S. at the Tokyo World Cup (April 4) but withdrew and the event was canceled amid the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Debuted Yurchenko double pike (first woman) at U.S. Classic
At the U.S. Classic Biles performed a Yurchenko double pike (first woman) and won the all-around; the vault was given a preliminary D-score of 6.6 (highest-valued vault in women's gymnastics).
2021 U.S. National Champion — 7th national all-around title
Won her seventh U.S. all-around title (2013–16, 2018–19, 2021) and qualified for Olympic Trials.
Named to 2020 (held 2021) U.S. Olympic Team (Tokyo)
Earned automatic spot on the U.S. Olympic team after Trials alongside Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, and Grace McCallum.
Tokyo Olympics — withdrew from team final citing 'twisties'
After qualifications Biles withdrew from most competition due to loss of air awareness ('the twisties'); withdrew during team final after an Amanar balk and later returned to win beam bronze.
Tokyo Olympics — Balance Beam Bronze (returned)
Returned to competition to win bronze on balance beam — her seventh Olympic medal, tying Shannon Miller for most by an American gymnast at the time.
Testified at Senate Judiciary hearing regarding Nassar/FBI handling
Testified as part of oversight about the Inspector General's report on the FBI's handling of Larry Nassar allegations.
Filed $1 billion claims against the FBI (Nassar mishandling)
Biles and more than 90 other survivors filed claims seeking over $1 billion from the FBI for its failure to properly act on Larry Nassar allegations.
Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom
President Joe Biden presented Biles with the Presidential Medal of Freedom; she became the youngest person to receive the honor.
Married Jonathan Owens
Simone Biles married NFL player Jonathan Owens in 2023 (name now often referenced as Simone Biles Owens).
Announced return to elite competition (entry list appearance)
Biles's name appeared on the entry list for the U.S. Classic, signaling plans to return to elite competition and a likely Paris 2024 bid.
2023 U.S. Championships — eighth national all-around title (record)
Won her eighth U.S. all-around title, breaking a 90-year U.S. Gymnastics title record and becoming the oldest woman to win the title at age 26.
Core Hydration Classic — unveiled most-challenging vault; won all-around
At the Core Hydration Classic Biles unveiled the most challenging women's vault in competition and won the all-around with a 59.100 score, dominating by ~5 points.
2023 World Championships (Antwerp) — all-around & multiple golds (21st world gold)
Won the World all-around title (her 6th world AA) and earned multiple golds at Antwerp, bringing her total World Championship gold medal count to a record-high and surpassing Vitaly Scherbo for most world medals.
Featured on Vanity Fair cover (Feb 2024)
Appeared on the February 2024 Vanity Fair cover; interview discussed mental health, marriage, and Paris Olympics comeback plans.
Laureus World Comeback of the Year (2024)
Won Laureus World Comeback of the Year for her triumphant return to elite competition after Tokyo 2020 challenges.
2024 U.S. Championships — ninth national all-around title (oldest ever)
Won the 2024 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships (Fort Worth) sweeping AA, VT, UB, BB, FX and becoming the oldest woman to win the U.S. all-around title.
2024 Paris Olympics — team, all-around & vault gold; floor silver
Competed at Paris 2024 as leader of the 'Golden Girls' team: won team gold, individual all-around gold, vault gold, and floor silver — bringing her Olympic medal total to 11 (7 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze).
Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year (2025) — listed in sources
Listed as Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year for 2025 in provided text; included with lower confidence as springboarded recognition after Paris.
Key Achievement Ages
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