Gymnast Simone Biles is back
The hotshot US gymnastics champion reclaims her throne after a two-year break and a shocking revelation
SHE’S the golden girl of American gymnastics. Her Olympic debut at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, saw her walk away with four gold medals – in the individual all- around, team all-around, vault and floor – and a bronze in the balance beam.
At 19 Simone Biles had cemented her Olympic legacy – and made her mark in a sport that lacks racial diversity. The tumbling powerhouse was the one to watch, pundits said. But fans were surprised when she took a post-Olympic break, opting not to compete last year. Had she burnt out, they wondered?
Then in January this year Biles dropped a bombshell. “I’m not afraid to tell my story anymore,” she said in a statement posted online. What she tweeted next explained her absence. “I too am one of the many survivors that was sexually abused by Larry Nassar.”
Nassar (55), a former USA Gymnastics team physician, sent the American gymnastics world into a spin when more than 140 women and girls accused him of sexually abusing them under the guise of medical treatment.
In February the disgraced doctor was sentenced to between 40 and 175 years in prison for sexual abuse that spanned decades. Many of his victims are struggling to deal with the trauma, and fans had feared Simone’s career would take a tumble too.
Turns out they had nothing to worry about.
BILES is back big time. The 21-year-old recently became the first woman to win five national all-around titles at the US Gymnastics National Championships in more than 50 years. The previous athlete to achieve this feat was Clara Schroth-Lomady, who won six between 1945 and 1952.
But Biles didn’t just make history – she also brought her own brand of black girl magic. The gymnast made her triumphant return to the top in a teal leotard.
“I picked [the leotard] out in January. It’s for the survivors. I stand with all of them,” the gymnast told USA Today.
Biles’ USA teammate, McKayla Maroney (22), has filed a lawsuit against USA Gymnastics alleging officials paid her to sign a confidential financial settlement to remain silent on the abuse she suffered at Nassar’s hands.
Biles has made no secret about how her teammates inspire her. “After hearing the brave stories of my friends and other survivors, I know that this horrific experience does not define me,” she wrote in her January post. “I’m much more than this. I’m unique, smart, talented, motivated, and passionate. I’ve promised myself that my story will be much greater than this. I love this sport too much and I’ve never been a quitter. I won’t let one man, and the others that enabled him, to steal my love and joy.”