Simone Biles: a golden legacy at the Paris 2024 Olympics

The Paris 2024 Olympics, whilst a celebration of all nations and their sporting capability, has notably been a slam dunk success for the ever-powerful and culturally hyped Team USA. From teen tennis player Coco Gauff and global basketball legend Lebron James leading the Team USA boat in patriotic style in the Opening Ceremony, to Snoop Dogg being the most unexpected sporting icon in history, Team USA have dominated the culture surrounding the Paris Olympics. However, amongst the multitude of talented players and athletes, and over 100 accumulated medals, it would be hard not to suggest that the record-breaking gymnast, Simone Biles, provided one of the most incredible performances of the entire games.

The origin story of Team USA’s golden girl proves to be an inspiring journey of determination. Sparking her love of gymnastics at the age of six, Biles found success amid the turmoil of her home life, being adopted by her maternal grandparents after her mother was deemed unfit to care for Biles and her siblings. Biles then began her career in elite gymnastics at the age of 14, when the London 2012 Olympics came along. She remained too young to compete. However, through determination, Biles had earned eight World Championship gold medals by the age of 16. This was followed by her five-medal sweep at the Rio 2016 Olympics, leading audiences and sporting fans alike to wonder what Biles had to prove next.

Biles found her victorious prowess at the Paris Olympics this summer, making it hard to believe that she had faced intense mental turmoil in the past

Arguably it is Biles’ determination following her decision to drop out of the Tokyo 2021 Olympics that is the most inspiring. At these previous Olympics, she suffered with a bout of the ‘twisties’, a term which accounts for a sudden mental block in gymnasts, with sufferers “losing their sense of space and direction”, as well as control of their body when performing tricks. After contributing to a silver medal win, and receiving a bronze in Tokyo, Biles decided to drop out to prioritise her mental health, an initially devastating decision which was met with a slew of backlash on social media. However, through reflection, as documented in the recently released Netflix series Simone Biles Rising, Biles considered her decision as her “biggest win”, feeling refreshed both mentally and physically by putting herself first.

Biles found her victorious prowess at the Paris Olympics this summer, making it hard to believe that she had faced such intense mental turmoil in the past. Biles, being only 4 foot and 8 inches tall, is “widely considered the best gymnast of all time”, inventing five moves across the floor, vault, and beam specialties. Arguably, her most acclaimed move, the ‘Biles II’, is her most impressive; this performance of a Yurchenko double pike off a vault is the most difficult skill in women’s gymnastics. By performing her original moves, Biles proves without a doubt how dedicated and medal-worthy she is, achieving three gold medals and one silver medal in Paris this year.

The cheers from the crowd, and love of her wider Team USA teammates, such as Sunisa Lee and Jordan Chiles, truly cement Biles’ GOAT status

Biles’s ability to capture the awe of the audience is something so powerful. The cheers from the crowd, and love of her wider Team USA teammates, such as Sunisa Lee and Jordan Chiles, truly cement Biles’ GOAT status. Fans cannot wait to see what the future holds for Biles, as she maintains her legendary gymnastics status at only 27 years of age.