SIMONE SOARS
Biles named 2019 AP Female Athlete of the Year
The 22-year-old gymnastics phenom Simone Biles was named the 2019 AP Female Athlete of the Year
They're called “Simone Things,” a catchall phrase for the casual ease with which Simone Biles seems to soar through her sport and her life.
The irony, of course, is that there's nothing casual or easy about it. Any of it. The greatest gymnast of all time and 2019 Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year only makes it seem that way.
Those jaw-dropping routines that are rewriting her sport's code of points and redefining what can be done on the competition floor? Born from a mix of natural talent, hard work and a splash of ego.
The 25 world championship medals, the most by any gymnast ever? The result of a promise the 22-year-old made to herself when she returned to competition in 2017 after taking time off following her golden run at the 2016 Olympics.
The stoicism and grace she has shown in becoming an advocate for survivors — herself included — and an agent for change in the wake of the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal that's shaken USA Gymnastics to its core? The byproduct of a conscious decision to embrace the immense clout she carries.
“I realize now with the platform I have it will be powerful if I speak up and speak for what I believe in,” Biles told The Associated Press. “It's an honor to speak for those that are less fortunate. So if I can be a voice for them in a positive manner, then of course I'm going to do whatever I can.”
She is the first gymnast to be named AP Female Athlete of the Year twice and the first to do it in a non-Olympic year.
Biles edged U. S. women's soccer star Megan Rapinoe in a vote by AP member sports editors and AP beat writers. Skiing star Mikaela Schiffrin placed third, with WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne fourth. Biles captured the award in 2016 following a showstopping performance at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, where she won five medals in all, four of them gold.
Biles has become well aware over the last three years that her every word and action carries far greater weight than she ever imagined. Her most impactful moment of 2019 might not have come during a meet but sitting for an interview on the eve of winning her record sixth national title, when she fought back tears while talking about how USA Gymnastics, the U. S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the FBI failed to protect athletes during an investigation into Nassar's abusive behavior.
“I'm starting to realize it's not just the gymternet anymore,” Biles said, using the term for her sport's dedicated fans. "It's an overall thing. It's weird to get that kind of attention, but at the end of the day, I feel gymnastics has been overlooked in non-Olympic years. Yeah, it puts pressure on me. But I'm not trying to think about all the attention from the outside world.”
Her smiling face serves as the exclamation point at the end of every television promo for the Summer Games.
Let it be known: The smile is real. That might not have always been the case, but is is now. Heading into the final months of a singular career, she is trying to revel in the journey while anxiously awaiting what's next. Add it to the list of Simone Things.
“I feel like this is the beginning of my life and I don't want gymnastics to be my whole entire life,” she said. “I'm definitely going to soak in the moment and enjoy it so 10 years from now I can look back and say `I had the time of my life out there' ... rather than `I was good, but I was miserable.'”