SIMONE SAYS...
Star gymnast on 2021 Olympics, abuse & protest
She’s the most decorated American gymnast in history — and now Simone Biles can add a Vogue cover to her mantel.
The 23-year-old champ makes her debut as the fashion bible’s cover model in the August issue (right) — and opens up to the mag about the Olympics being postponed due to the coronavirus, the USA Gymnastics sex-abuse scandal and the nationwide protests against racism and police brutality.
“I felt kind of torn and broken,” Biles — who was snapped by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz for the magazine — said of learning that she would have to wait until next July compete in the Olympics in Tokyo.
“Obviously, it was the right decision, but to have it finalized — in a way, you feel defeated because you’ve worked so hard.”
Quarantined at her Texas home, Biles — who holds 30 Olympic and World Championship medals — tried to stay in shape by following “twerk-out” videos on YouTube and taking part in handstand challenges.
She was finally able to resume training in mid-May after the World Champions Centre in Spring, Texas, reopened.
But it wasn’t just rearranging her training that troubled Biles — she also dreaded having to work with USA Gymnastics for an extra year.
“I just started crying,” she said. “Another year of dealing with USAG. That, I don’t know if I can take.” Biles has been an outspoken critic of the organization over the scandal surrounding the team’s former doctor Larry Nassar, who is serving life in prison after he was accused of sexually abusing hundreds of female gymnasts for decades. “We need to figure out why it happened, when it happened, and who knew what, when,” said Biles, who has alleged that she was among those abused by Nassar. “We can’t feel comfortable promoting our sport if we fear that something might happen like this again because they’re not doing their part,” she added, referring to the USAG and the
United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee.
Biles explained why it had been important for her to come forward as a victim.
“For me, it was a weight that I carried so heavily on my chest, so I felt like, if I shared it with people, then it would be a relief for me,” she told Vogue.
“And I knew that by sharing my story, I would help other survivors feel comfortable and safe in coming forward.”
Speaking to the magazine about the protests sparked by the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, Biles said, “We need change.”
“We need justice for the black community,” she said. “With the peaceful protests, it’s the start of change, but it’s sad that it took all of this for people to listen.”