Sports Illustrated has named Simone Biles as their 2024 Sportsperson of the Year.
Living up to her status as the G.O.A.T (Greatest of All Time) — Biles is the most decorated gymnast in history. She continues to break barriers and remains a household name.
Before competing for Team USA, Biles started her gymnastics career at six years old. At 16, she became the first athlete to debut her signature skill — famously named after her — the Biles, which is a double layout with a half twist.
Making her mark at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Biles claimed four Gold Medals — in the Team All-Around competitions; Individual All-Around competitions; Vault competitions; and Floor Exercise competitions.
She also came home with a Bronze Medal in the Balance Beam competition.
Throughout her career, in total Biles has 11 Olympic medals — two from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where Biles brought home a Silver Medal for the Women’s Team competition and a Bronze Medal in the Women’s Balance Beam competition — before making a strong decision to withdraw from the Olympics.
The decision to step away from the competition came after Biles began struggling on the Vault and suffering from a mental block with a case of the twisties which is when gymnasts have a feeling of being lost or disoriented during a routine, causing them to be unable to complete a skill at full potential.
The question of whether or not Biles would make a return to the gym floor stood firm over the past four years.
Despite facing backlash after making the abrupt decision to walk away from the sport of gymnastics in the midst of one of the biggest competitions for sports; Biles made the courageous decision to return to gymnastics in 2022. It was announced by USA Gymnastics that the well-acclaimed gymnast was returning to the sport with hopes to compete at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
The return of Biles shows athletes that taking care of their mental health and prioritizing it is just as important and rewarding as prioritizing your physical health.
At the 2024 Summer Paris Olympics, Biles made a remarkable comeback after a major setback at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Despite having worries that the twisties might return, she was able to nail her Vault routine and win Gold for both the individual competition and Team All-Around. She also added two additional Olympic Medals to her collection — Gold in the Women’s All-Around and Silver in the Women’s Floor Exercise.
This past year Simone Biles continued to speak up about the importance of mental health for athletes and the pressure of performing at a high level of greatness.
After the Olympics, Biles along with her fellow Team USA teammates and other successful gymnasts went on tour around America with the Gold Over America Tour. The tour helped to inspire young athletes to keep setting goals and pushing towards achieving their dreams no matter the obstacles they are presented with.
The added success over the past year is why the G.O.A.T was named Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year.
Now the question still stands of what the gymnasts’ next moves are. Will she return to the sport of gymnastics? Or will she move into retirement and enjoy the W.A.G Life supporting her NFL husband Jonathan Owens?
Either way, it goes, the athlete has set the standards high for being a woman in sports and continues to inspire us all with her dedication.
Edited by Naiya Dalce
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