Simone Arianne Biles is one of the most gifted gymnasts in sporting history. She is celebrated globally, but her road to success wasn’t easy.
Born in Ohio, USA, Simone was two years old when she and three siblings were taken into foster care because their mother was struggling with alcohol and drug addiction. When she was six, Simone was adopted by her biological grandparents in Texas. Today she sees them as her parents.
Around this time Simone joined a gymnastics class after a teacher noticed her talent on a school trip. She was a natural and progressed very quickly.
Simone was spotted at the age of eight by the gymnastics coach Aimee Boorman, who has been her trainer ever since. Aimee has given Simone much-needed support, especially during the tougher phases of her training when she struggled with flexibility and wasn’t performing as well.
In 2011, when Simone was 14 years old, she had to make one of the biggest decisions of her life—did she want to become a full-time professional gymnast, training 32 hours over 6 days every week, or did she want to lead a regular teenage life and miss out on being an elite athlete?
Determined to become a world-class gymnast, Simone opted for intensive training and home schooling. At first her results were outstanding, and she started to make a name for herself. But in 2013, she injured herself repeatedly during a championship, tripping, falling, and making mistakes. Aimee pulled her from the competition.
“I’d rather regret the risks that didn’t work out than the chances I didn’t take at all.”
Simone’s parents decided to enlist the help of a sports psychologist, who helped Simone work through what may have been anxiety about performing. An incredible three weeks later, she won the US Championships —two months after that she was awarded a world title.
Simone made history by becoming the first woman to win ten gold medals in the World Championships (across 2013, 2014, and 2015.) She also holds the most World Championship medals of any American gymnast.
In 2016 Simone made her Olympic debut in Rio. She returned home with four gold medals (for the individual all-around, vault, floor, and team categories). She also won a bronze for the balance beam. Simone took a well-earned rest from training in 2017 before returning to the world of gymnastics in 2018.
As well as setting new, extremely high standards in gymnastics, Simone dedicates time to charities that are close to her heart. She wants children in foster care to have the support and opportunities to realize their potential. She also works with Kids Wish, which makes dreams come true for children with terminal illnesses.
Glossary
Abolitionist
Someone who supported the banning of slavery.
Annotation
A note that explains a word or passage in a text.
Anthropologist
Someone who studies the human race.
Apartheid
A system of racial segregation in South Africa (1948–93).
Archeologist
Someone who studies history through looking at objects from the past.
Biochemist
A scientist who studies chemical reactions in organisms.
Cell
One of the tiny units from which all living things are made.
Chromosome
Civil rights movement
The group of people who came together in the 1950s and 1960s to end racial inequality. It began in the United States.
Concentration camp
A prison where civilians, especially Jews, were kept in very inhumane conditions and were often killed.
Cosmologist
Someone who studies the whole Universe.
Crystallographer
Someone who studies the structure of crystals.
Democracy
A system of government whereby the people have a say, usually by electing representatives.
Depression
A mental condition that makes people feel hopeless and isolated, which affects energy, sleep, and appetite.
Discrimination
An unfair system that treats people differently, for example because of their sex, race, sexuality, or age.
DNA
A complicated chain of chemicals inside a cell with instructions for life.
Empathy
The ability to share someone else’s feelings.
Entomology
The scientific study of insects.
Environmentalist
Someone who wants to protect the natural world.
Ethologist
Someone who studies animals in their natural habitat.
Extremism
Holding extreme religious or political views.
Someone who believes men and women should be treated equally.
Fundamentalist
Someone who follows a religion in its strictest form.
Geneticist
Someone who studies how organisms pass on characteristics.
Geologist
Someone who studies Earth’s physical structure.
Holocaust
The mass murder of Jews and other minority groups by Nazi Germany in concentration camps.
Human rights
Basic rights that belong to everyone on Earth, based on dignity, equality, and fairness.
Indigenous
Originating in, or native to, a particular area.
LGBTQ+
Short for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, and others, meaning all those who don’t identify as heterosexual (attracted to members of the opposite sex) and cisgendered (someone whose gender identity [female or male] matches their sex at birth).
Neurobiologist
A scientist who studies the brain and nervous system.
Paleontologist
A scientist who studies fossil evidence of past life.
Persecution
Treating someone very badly, usually because of their race, beliefs, or sexual identity.
Philanthropist
Someone who gives generous support to charities.
Philosopher
Someone who studies big questions, such as the nature of knowledge, reality, and existence.
Physicist
Prejudice
An unfair opinion that is not based on fact.
Primatologist
Someone who studies primates.
Protein
A type of molecule that is needed for growth and repair.
Psychologist
A scientist who studies the human mind.
Radiation
A form of energy that travels as rays or waves and is invisible to the human eye.
Radioactive
Describes unstable atoms (the smallest units of an element) that release high-energy particles when they break apart.
Segregation
Separating people into groups, usually according to their race.
Suffragist
Someone who wants more people—usually more women—to be able to vote.
X-ray
A type of radiation that can pass through many materials.
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