• Latest
  • Trending
Simone Biles

Simone Biles Biography: Fast Facts About Her Faith, Family, and Why She’s the GOAT

August 4, 2021
Twitter user posted image of Jesus sitting next to Donald Trump in court

Trump Shares Fake Courtroom Sketch of Himself and White Jesus; Users Respond With ‘Fixed’ Versions of Satan, Black Jesus

October 3, 2023
iraq wedding fire

Wedding Fire That Killed More Than 100 in Iraqi Christian Community Prompts Letter From Pope

October 2, 2023
Pastor Albert Tate has been placed on a leave of absence by his church board for inappropriate text messages and questionable comments

Fellowship Monrovia Church Puts Pastor Albert Tate on Leave Over ‘Inappropriate’ Text Messages

October 2, 2023
Marla Frederick

Religion Scholar Marla Frederick Is First Black Woman to Lead Harvard Divinity School in 200 Years

September 30, 2023
faith leaders

‘God Will Work a Miracle’ — Thousands of Foreign-Born Faith Leaders Could Be Forced to Leave US

September 30, 2023
teacher classroom students

What Black Teachers Face Today Isn’t Much Different From What They Faced During Segregation

September 29, 2023
woman on mic

Professor Charrise Barron Talks Teaching Protest Music’s Evolution From Gospel to Hip-Hop

September 28, 2023
Julie Chen Moonves

‘Big Brother’ Host Julie Chen Moonves Tells How She ‘Found Jesus’

September 27, 2023
Asian Americans

Fear of Ridicule, Desire to Fit In Prompt Some Asian Americans to Partly Hide Heritage

September 27, 2023
laptop

Evangelical Organization Launches ‘Racial Justice Assessment’ Tool

September 27, 2023
megachurches

Are New Jersey’s Megachurches the Answer to the Crisis of Christianity?

September 27, 2023
Christian rapper Dee-1

Rapper Dee-1 Starts Artist/Scholar Residency at Tufts University After Nabbing Nasir Jones Fellowship at Harvard

September 26, 2023
Faithfully Magazine
  • Members
    • Log In
    • Member Home
    • See All Members
    • What’s New
    • Start or Join a Group
    • Your Freebies
Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
  • About
    • Advertise
    • Submit Content
    • Contact Us
    • Give Via PayPal
  • Exclusives
  • Q&As
  • Specials
  • NJ News
  • Listen & Watch
  • Shop
    • Faith Heroes Bookmarks
    • Clothing
    • eBooks
  • Events
    • Community Events
    • FM Live Q&As
  • Resources
    • Black Christian Content
  • Newsletter
Cart / $0.00

No products in the cart.

  • About
    • Advertise
    • Submit Content
    • Contact Us
    • Give Via PayPal
  • Exclusives
  • Q&As
  • Specials
  • NJ News
  • Listen & Watch
  • Shop
    • Faith Heroes Bookmarks
    • Clothing
    • eBooks
  • Events
    • Community Events
    • FM Live Q&As
  • Resources
    • Black Christian Content
  • Newsletter
No Result
View All Result
Faithfully Magazine
Home Evergreen

Simone Biles Biography: Fast Facts About Her Faith, Family, and Why She’s the GOAT

Evana D. Upshaw by Evana D. Upshaw
August 4, 2021
in Evergreen, Unwind
Reading Time: 10 mins read
0
Simone Biles

Simone Biles at the Doha Artistic Gymnastics World Championship, in Doha, Qatar, on Nov. 11, 2018. (Photo: Abelardo Mendes Jr/ rededoesporte.gov.br/(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0))

ShareTweetPin It

Simone Biles is no stranger to the spotlight. Widely regarded as the “GOAT,” or “greatest of all time,” she has blown the world away with her barrier-breaking gymnastics.

And with an unexpected, mid-Tokyo 2020 Olympic finals tap-out, Biles has cemented her legacy as a world-class gymnast who prioritizes mental and physical health over winning medals. Through her docu-series, “Simone vs Herself,” Biles has opened up about intimate parts of her life and her journey to Tokyo this year.

Here are some things you need to know about the GOAT.

Simone, the Most Decorated Gymnast

Biles is the most decorated gymnast, male or female, in all of world championship history, with 24 world championship medals under her belt. She now has six Olympic medals, counting her silver medal earned in Tokyo as of July 27.

RelatedArticles

woman on mic

Professor Charrise Barron Talks Teaching Protest Music’s Evolution From Gospel to Hip-Hop

September 28, 2023
Christian rapper Dee-1

Rapper Dee-1 Starts Artist/Scholar Residency at Tufts University After Nabbing Nasir Jones Fellowship at Harvard

September 26, 2023

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Simone Biles (@simonebiles)

Additionally, she has four different moves named after her, a feat only possible if she lands them in competition. The “Biles” and the “Biles II” are both on floor, and she has the “Biles” on the balance beam, and the “Biles” on vault. Each of these have come about from either Biles pushing herself, or her coaches pushing her, to add another flip or turn to moves that already exist. This sends the difficulty and danger levels to new heights.

Perhaps most notably, Biles is the only woman to attempt the men’s-only Yurchenko double pike in competition. Her response when asked why she attempts what was thought to be impossible?

“Because I can.”

However, judges at the 2021 GK U.S. Classic refused to score the Yurchenko double-pike’s difficulty any higher than Biles’s usual vaults, about a 6.6. And when she debuted her first two signature moves at the 2019 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, judges gave her a score that she felt did not reflect the daring and extreme work she put in.

“I’m almost 99.9% sure if any other athlete were to do it besides me, they would give it correct credit,” Biles says in “Simone vs Herself.”

“But since I’m already way ahead of everybody, they kind of want to pull it back. Because sometimes they don’t think it’s fair that I win all the time.”

Simone, the Mental Health Advocate

In a stunning move during the women’s final in Tokyo on July 27, Biles pulled out of the competition, citing mental health concerns. Her Olympic performance up to that point had been sub-par compared to her usual performances. She was missing landings, slipping off of the mats, and finally botched a vault attempt at the finals that led to her decision.

She later told reporters that she withdrew to “focus” on her “mental health.”

“We have to protect our minds and our bodies and not just go out and do what the world wants us to do,” she said.

Just two days before, Biles posted on Instagram that she felt she did not perform well during the preliminary competition.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Simone Biles (@simonebiles)

“I truly do feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders at times. I know I brush it off and make it seem like pressure doesn’t affect me but damn sometimes it’s hard…” she wrote. “The Olympics is no joke!”

In the first episode of “Simone vs Herself,” Biles tells viewers that she almost did not make it to Tokyo. When rumors about the Olympics being canceled were circulating in March of 2020, Biles said that if they canceled the games, she would quit.

“I can’t do this any longer,” she told the interviewer. The toll that gymnastics was taking on her mind and body, she said, were getting to be too much. At the age of 24, she is one of the oldest members of the USA women’s gymnastics team. She said in an interview with the Today show that she thinks about her age every day.

A postponed Olympic games, however, meant that she would have to stick it out with USA Gymnastics for another year—a fact that Biles was not happy about. Biles revealed in 2018 that she was one of the hundreds of women and girls sexually abused by USA Gymnastics team doctor, Larry Nassar.

Feelings… ???? #MeToo pic.twitter.com/ICiu0FCa0n

— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) January 15, 2018

 

She said that before releasing her statement, she had been struggling with questions like, “was I too naive?” or “was it my fault?”

“No,” she wrote. “No, it was not my fault. No, I will not and should not carry the guilt that belongs to Larry Nassar, USAG, and others.”

The case revealed that USA Gymnastics overlooked Nassar’s history of sexual abuse before hiring him.

Simone, a Sister and Daughter

Biles and her siblings were forced into the foster care system when she was very young, as her biological mother struggled with drug and alcohol abuse. She remembers going hungry with her siblings.

“Growing up, me and my siblings were so focused on food because we didn’t have a lot of food,” she said in an episode of “Simone vs Herself.”

“I remember there was this cat around the house and I would be so hungry. They would feed this cat and I would be like, ‘Where the heck is my food?’ And so I think that’s [why] I don’t like cats … because this freaking street cat, she always fed it. But she never fed us.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Adria Biles (@adria_biles)

She said she was fortunate that her siblings were kept together while they were in the system, because she knows how uncommon that is. When her maternal grandfather heard about this, however, he and his wife decided to adopt Biles and her younger sister, Adria. Their two older siblings would live in Ohio near their mother. To this day, she refers to Nellie and Ronald Biles as ‘mom’ and ‘dad.’

Simone, a Woman of Faith

Biles has written extensively in her autobiography, Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance, on the role that her Catholic faith plays in her life personally and athletically. She says that her faith has helped her to overcome adversity and excel in her sport.

Biles attends Sunday mass with her parents, and, in an interview with Us magazine, revealed that she even carries a rosary with her.

“My mom, Nellie, got me a rosary at church,” she said. “I don’t use it to pray before a competition. I’ll just pray normally to myself, but I have it there in case.”

Biles told the Houston Chronicle that she thinks it is good for her to talk about her faith publicly, saying, “Kids today talk about faith, and I think it’s OK for me to share my faith so kids can see how it helps you through the whole process.”

Recounting the day she received the sacrament of Confirmation, Biles writes in her book:

“I marched into St. James the Apostle Church that Sunday in a line of teenagers with solemn faces… in a way, our procession reminded me of a medal ceremony, except that no gold, silver, and bronze medals would be given out. Instead, our prize would be something much more powerful: in a few moments, each of us would bow our heads to receive the Holy Sacrament of Confirmation.”

Leave your vote

0 Points
Upvote

Browse and manage your votes from your Member Profile Page


Share This Post

Share via

Share This Post

  • Digg
  • Tumblr
  • Flipboard
  • SMS
More
  • Report
Advertisement
Ancestry US
ShareTweetPin It
Evana D. Upshaw

Evana D. Upshaw

Evana D. Upshaw is Faithfully Magazine's 2021 Editorial Fellow and a junior journalism student at Biola University. Evana loves discussing the Christian church's role in social justice, learning about how history has shaped our world, and telling stories. Evana currently lives in Baltimore with her mom, dad, and two younger brothers. You can find her on Twitter @EvanaUpshaw.

More Articles

LeBron James
Uncategorized

LeBron James’ Home Vandalized With N-Word; Star Says Racism Still ‘Part of America’

May 31, 2017
Will Smith stars as Peter in Emancipation, an Apple Original Film inspired by Gordon, or Whipped Peter

Will Smith’s ‘Emancipation’ Inspired by True Story of ‘Whipped Peter,’ Escaped Slave With Scarred Back

October 5, 2022
Trip Lee
Q&As

Trip Lee Talks New Music, Quitting the Pastorate, Dealing With Doubt and More

December 8, 2021

Discussion about this post

Upcoming Events

Oct 5
1:00 pm - 6:00 pm EDT

Event: Black Religion and Critical Theory Colloquium

Oct 10
7:00 am - 11:30 pm EDT

Event: Free Virtual Church Mental Health Summit

View Calendar

Trending

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Tony Evans and Carla Crummie engaged to be married

Dr. Tony Evans Engaged to Former Pastor’s Wife and Widow Four Years After Lois Evans’ Death

September 12, 2023
Pastor Albert Tate has been placed on a leave of absence by his church board for inappropriate text messages and questionable comments

Fellowship Monrovia Church Puts Pastor Albert Tate on Leave Over ‘Inappropriate’ Text Messages

October 2, 2023
Twitter user posted image of Jesus sitting next to Donald Trump in court

Trump Shares Fake Courtroom Sketch of Himself and White Jesus; Users Respond With ‘Fixed’ Versions of Satan, Black Jesus

October 3, 2023
faith leaders

‘God Will Work a Miracle’ — Thousands of Foreign-Born Faith Leaders Could Be Forced to Leave US

September 30, 2023
jackie hill perry tbn fruits of the spirit heterosexuality

Sexuality Has Nothing to Do With Salvation, Jackie Hill Perry Says in TBN Talk About ‘Gay Girl, Good God’

October 8, 2021
Marla Frederick

Religion Scholar Marla Frederick Is First Black Woman to Lead Harvard Divinity School in 200 Years

September 30, 2023
Twitter user posted image of Jesus sitting next to Donald Trump in court

Trump Shares Fake Courtroom Sketch of Himself and White Jesus; Users Respond With ‘Fixed’ Versions of Satan, Black Jesus

October 3, 2023
iraq wedding fire

Wedding Fire That Killed More Than 100 in Iraqi Christian Community Prompts Letter From Pope

October 2, 2023
Pastor Albert Tate has been placed on a leave of absence by his church board for inappropriate text messages and questionable comments

Fellowship Monrovia Church Puts Pastor Albert Tate on Leave Over ‘Inappropriate’ Text Messages

October 2, 2023
Marla Frederick

Religion Scholar Marla Frederick Is First Black Woman to Lead Harvard Divinity School in 200 Years

September 30, 2023
faith leaders

‘God Will Work a Miracle’ — Thousands of Foreign-Born Faith Leaders Could Be Forced to Leave US

September 30, 2023
teacher classroom students

What Black Teachers Face Today Isn’t Much Different From What They Faced During Segregation

September 29, 2023

Most Shared Articles

  • Can Money-Making Microgrids Empower Black Churches to Close the Clean Energy Gap?...
  • Dr. Tony Evans Engaged to Former Pastor’s Wife and Widow Four Years After Lois Evans’ Death...
  • Kirk Franklin Finally Finds His Birth Father After 53 Years...
  • Christians Plea for Prayer, Help Amid Haiti’s Surging Gang Violence...
  • ‘Color of Compromise’ Author Jemar Tisby Comments on Quitting Kendi’s Antiracism C...
  • New and Upcoming Books: ‘Sacred Self-Care,’ ‘Unwind,’ ‘Damaged But Not...

From The Archive

lamor whitehead, brooklyn bishop and pastor

Preacher Robbed of Jewelry During Livestream Shows Off His Gucci-Louis-Fendi ‘Prayer Closet’

by FM Editors
August 2, 2022
Michelle Obama
Uncategorized

How First Lady Melania Trump Compares to Michelle Obama

by FM Editors
April 27, 2017
Christian author and preacher Dr. Voddie Baucham
Web Exclusives

‘Fault Lines’ Author Voddie Baucham Confused or Making Things Up, Richard Delgado Says in Response to Misquote on ‘Righteous Actions’ of Whites

by Nicola A. Menzie
August 3, 2021
Castle
Inspiration

How a ‘Keeper of the Castle’ Mentality Holds the Church Back From Racial Healing and Unity

by FM Editors
July 7, 2020
faithfully magazine header logo
Editorial Fellowship

Apply to Join Us as a Faithfully Magazine Editorial Fellow

by FM Editors
April 4, 2021

Who’s Online

There are no users currently online
Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram
Faithfully Magazine

Faithfully Magazine is a news and culture publication centered on Christian communities of color.

Recent News

  • Trump Shares Fake Courtroom Sketch of Himself and White Jesus; Users Respond With ‘Fixed’ Versions of Satan, Black Jesus

Category

© 2023 Faithfully Media, LLC (Owner and Operator)

  • From The Magazine
  • Inspiration
  • News
  • Opinion & Analysis
  • Profiled
  • Q&As
  • Remember
  • Specials
  • New Jersey
  • Listen & Watch
  • Web Exclusives
  • Shop
    • Clothing
    • Faith Heroes Bookmarks
    • eBooks
  • Events
    • FM Live Events
    • Community Events
  • Resources
    • Black Christian Content
  • About Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Submit Content
    • Give Via PayPal
  • Members
    • Log In
    • Your Freebies
  • Subscribe to Faithfully Magazine
  • Newsletter
No Result
View All Result

© 2023 Faithfully Media, LLC (Owner and Operator)

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms bellow to register

*By registering on our website, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Share via

Share This Post

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • WhatsApp
  • Copy Link
  • Tumblr
  • Digg
  • Flipboard
  • SMS

Add New Playlist

Log In

Sign In

Login with Facebook
Login with Twitter
Forgot password?

Don't have an account? Register

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Back to Login

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Accept

Add to Collection

  • Public collection title

  • Private collection title

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?
Send this to a friend