Simone Biles is small in stature — just 4-foot-8 — but her reputation looms large.
The Texas native started taking gymnastics classes at age 6 and and earned an invite to the junior national team camp by 14. She had several world championship gold medals before she made her Olympics debut in Rio de Janeiro at age 19 in 2016. She scored her first Olympic gold medals in the individual all-around, vault and floor, a bronze medal in balance beam and a gold medal as part of Team USA.
After her triumphant run in Rio, Biles published her memoir and appeared on Dancing With the Stars, but she soon returned to the gym to prepare for the Tokyo Olympics. After pulling out of several Olympic events due to the “twisties,” Biles took a two-year break from competitions.
Following her April 2023 wedding to NFL star Jonathan Owens, she returned to the mat in August 2023, making it clear that she was preparing to go to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Keep scrolling to take a look back at Biles’ many achievements over the years:
