At 22, Simone Biles is the most decorated female gymnast in history, a four-time world champion who counts Hillary and Chelsea among her fans. But what is it that makes her so damn good?
SMALL BUT MIGHTY
Simone Biles’ 4ft 8in stature helps her flip faster, as shorter people have less inertia (resistance to change in movement). Shorter legs also give gymnasts more space to manoeuvre on the beam and more room to run and jump on the floor.
WHIP SMART
According to her coach, Aimee Boorman, Biles can master new skills in three days where most gymnasts take months or even years. She was first spotted on a field trip to a gym at age six, where she was seen successfully mimicking the girls training there.
You may also like
Why isn’t there a women’s equivalent of the Tour de France?
FORM AND FUNCTION
Despite her immense strength and muscle mass, Biles weighs just 46kg (7st 3lbs), perfectly balancing the need for muscle to move her frame with the slight weight needed to swing herself around and tumble through the air.
HIGH FLYER
At the peak of her floor routines, Biles often sails an estimated 9ft 4in off the ground. That’s more than double her height and several feet above her rivals. All that time in the air is what allows her to pull off her gravity-defying twirls, somersaults and flips.
MAKING HISTORY
She recently became the first woman ever to land the mind-boggling triple-double (three twists and two flips in mid-air, a move that’s now named after her), with a launch speed of 5.78 metres per second – that’s 13 miles per hour.
Photography: Danielle Levitt, Getty
Recommended by Elena Chabo
People
Olympics 2020: Team GB’s head of marketing reveals the proudest moment of her career
Life
Coco Gauff is out of Wimbledon, but she had some powerful parting words to share
People
Serena Williams accuses umpire of sexism after court outburst at US Open final
Long Reads
This woman could be the first person to walk on Mars