Going for Gold: The Return of Simone Biles, Gymnastics Prodigy

Written by: Cynthia Douillard, 6th Grade

Why did I choose Simone Biles?

For my 6th grade inspirational writing assignment in English class, I chose Simone Biles, because we both love gymnastics. I admire how Simone never gives up, even when things get difficult. Today, her story inspires other girls to put mental health first. She encourages people to always follow their dreams. A trait that we both have is risk-taking. This is important when you do gymnastics, and this is what made Simone successful in her career. A few months ago, I watched Simone compete in the Paris Olympics, and I admired her courage, and confidence. One day I would love to be like Simone Biles. Every time I feel like giving up, I always think of her.

Have you ever wondered how Simone Biles comes up with her amazing choreographies? This is the story of how this amazing gymnast started her whole career on a daycare field trip. As a famous American gymnast, she developed three IB learner traits during her career: balanced, risk – taking, and caring.

Courageous and Confident

In order to become a professional artistic gymnast, Simone Biles needed to be a risk – taker. In the Paris Olympics of 2024, Simone got injured during the warmup. This didn’t slow her down, and she took the decision to continue competing which could’ve made her injury even worse. This shows that Simone didn’t give up even after her calf injury.

“Competing in Paris 2024 meant the world” Simone says, which shows that competing in the Olympics was her dream. 

During the Paris Olympics of 2024, a lot of celebrities came to watch Simone. This was an opportunity for her to show what she was capable of doing. This moment was very important, and if she had missed her landing or a move, she could’ve been embarrassed. This demonstrated that she was confident and brave enough to perform in front of all those famous celebrities.

Simone is 27 years old, which is old for an athlete. Taking the decision to still compete in the Olympics was dangerous, because at that age you have a higher chance of getting a back injury. One can see from this that Simone Biles never gives up even when things get hard “Never say never,” Simone mentioned.

Being a risk -taker is a very special trait. This is what made Simone successful in her career, and if she wasn’t a risk taker then she wouldn’t have discovered her signature moves, she wouldn’t be as talented, and she wouldn’t have as many medals as she has today.

Balanced

In order for Simone to enjoy her sport, and stay healthy, she needed to be balanced. During the Tokyo Olympics of 2020, she suffered from a condition called the “twisties.” But she still decided to compete, until she started getting mental health concerns. She decided to put her mental health first, and drop out of the team competition.

“My mental is not there, so I just need to let the girls do it, and focus on myself.”

Simone Biles, when interviewed for Olympics.com

One can see from this that putting mental health first is very important, and she was ready to quit the team competition just to focus on her mental health. Research shows that during the Rio Janeiro games of 2016, Simone was a victim of abuse. So she decided to take a break from gymnastics in order to take care of herself. This shows that even when it comes to missing out on all the big competitions, just because of her health, she doesn’t hesitate. Although she loves her sport, she still has her private life. In April 2023, Simone announced that she is married to a famous basketball player, Jonathan Owens. 

“I’m even being intentional outside of the gym, taking time for myself and my husband, taking time for my family, and taking time for this vacation” Simone explains.

This demonstrates that like every other athlete, Simone has a private life, and not everything is about gymnastics. Sometimes she even takes a break from gymnastics just to take care of herself and her family. If she wasn’t balanced, then she would’ve probably been miserable, and her life wouldn’t be as fun.

Caring, Encouraging, and Inspiring

Being caring was very important in order for Simone to be a supportive teammate. For example, when her teammates are doing great, or even when they miss their landing, she was ready to encourage her teammates by giving them high fives or hugs. This shows that she is ready to celebrate both failures and successes. After analyzing all the mistakes she made during the Tokyo Olympics, she noticed that if she continued to miss a move, she could’ve made her team lose a medal. So, she decided to drop out of the team competition, which shows integrity. She didn’t want her team to lose a medal just because of her.

Research shows that Simone shares a lot of messages with her public, which also makes her an excellent communicator.

“Put mental health first, because if you don’t you’re not going to enjoy your sport, and you’re not going to succeed as much as you want to, so it’s ok to sit out, even for the big competitions just to focus on yourself,” Simone explains.

She openly shares her thoughts to her public, and also encourages other girls to follow their dreams. If Simone hadn’t been caring, then she wouldn’t be as supportive towards her teammates, husband, and the general public.

Her story encourages other girls to never give up, and to follow their dreams. “You are never too young to chase your dreams,” Simone mentioned. Biles made a huge comeback after the Tokyo Olympics. If she made such an improvement in such little time, then imagine what she can do in the future!