SIMONE BILES:

GYMNASTIC GOAT

“I put a lot of pressure on myself, but it just comes with me knowing what I'm capable of.”

It’s hard to believe Simone Biles, lauded as the greatest gymnast of all time, only made her Olympic debut in Rio in 2016. The 24-year-old 25-time world medalist has four skills named after her—including a triple-twisting double backflip on the floor, the “Biles II” (shown on page 10)—and is back on the Olympic stage.

A lot has changed since taking home four golds and a bronze in 2016: She’s moved into her own house, made two French bulldogs (Lilo and Rambo) part of her family and found her voice advocating for survivors of sexual abuse and children in foster care. After being placed in the foster care system herself, she and her younger sister were adopted by her grandparents, whom she refers to as “Mom and Dad.”

“Without them,” she says, “I wouldn’t be who I am. I wouldn’t have done gymnastics.”

Biles is projected to do big things in Tokyo, like whip out her arguably most impressive and daredevil move to date, the Yurchenko double pike (she became the first woman to lan` the vault maneuver back in May), but she’s keeping what she calls her “high goals” close to the chest. She’s currently training six and a half hours a day, sometimes seven, with Sundays off. And yes, the Olympic postponement due to the coronavirus pandemic was tough. “I felt all the emotions,” she says. “It was strange. It was weird. It was annoying. It was scary. It was sad. It wasn't easy, but I'm glad I kept up with it.”

And rightfully so. The Olympics, says Biles, is “everything. It’s one of the most rewarding, exciting moments, being able to stand on top of the podium and hear your national anthem. It’s a feeling you can’t really describe.”

As for the question we’ve all been asking: Is Tokyo her last? “I definitely feel like with age I’ve gotten better, which most of the time you don’t see in our sport,” she says. (In 1980, the average age of an Olympic gymnast was 16½). So while her current focus is Tokyo, she may not be hanging up the leotard just yet, noting that her coaches are from France and it might be fun to go to the 2024 Paris games. In the meantime, feel her passion and joy for the sport as you watch one of the greatest athletes of all time compete.