Wonder Woman of the Week: Simone Biles
This week's Wonder Woman is an athlete who dominates in her sport both on and off the floor. With thirty combined Olympic and World Championship medals to her name, this heroine is the most decorated American gymnast, but her success goes far beyond her feats of strength in competition. Simone Biles was born in Ohio in 1997, but her childhood was by no means easy. Her mother put Biles and her siblings in foster care shortly before the future gymnast's grandfather adopted the bunch and raised them in Texas. Biles began gymnastics on a field trip at six years old before showing her talent by age eight. The young gymnast rapidly garnered attention in her sport and earned an offer to compete for UCLA in college. Biles however had her eyes set on professional sports and went straight into the pros.
By the time Simone Biles qualified for her first Olympics- the 2016 Rio games- she had already earned gold medals in the gymnastics world championships in 2013, 2014, and 2015 earning ten total gold medals in the all-around, floor exercise, team, and balance beam events. At the 2016 Olympics, Biles earned four gold medals. After the Rio Olympics, Biles took a break from her sport and spent that time writing a book to inspire young women and girls- but also to muster the courage for something far more challenging than vying for Olympic medals. While Biles was an active member of USA gymnastics, the head medical staff member of the team sexually abused several athletes. In 2018, Biles led the way to dismantling that system of institutionalized assault by filing suit against her abuser and shedding light on USA Gymnastic's knowledge and allowance of that continuous abuse. She also announced she was not done with competition.
Between 2018 and 2012, Biles won nine more world championship gold medals and qualified for the Tokyo Olympics which were eventually held in 2021. During the games, Biles earned a silver medal in a team event before withdrawing from the competition due to a case of "the twisties" which is when a gymnast can become disoriented during a performance which in turn can case debilitation- and even potentially fatal- injuries. The act was yet another moment shedding light on the often ignored health of elite athletes. While fans often demand athletes perform for them for entertainment, toxic sports fans often demand the athletes they watch be willing to hurt themselves or even kill themselves in the name of competition. Biles' withdrawal helped humanize elite athletes.
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