Simone Biles, a talented young woman, made awe-inspiring history when she competed in the 2019 U.S. Women’s Olympic Gymnastics Championship as she bagged the record for being the first woman to do a triple-double during a competition. If you’re not familiar with the term, a triple-double means doing two full flips and three full twists in one jump before touching the floor.
Simone flawlessly performed this historic move in her tumbling pass for her floor routine in the said competition. This physics-defying gal stunned judges and audiences right from the get-go and just kept making history as she went through her whole routine. Imagine how happy she felt when she finished that winning routine! I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it.
According to Biography.com, Simone is the most decorated American gymnast to date. How much, you ask? At just 23, she’s won a total of 30 Olympic and World Championship medals. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, she led the U.S. Olympic women’s gymnastics team – aka “The Final Five” – to victory. At the same time, she nabbed a gold in the vault, floor exercise, and the individual all-around and also won bronze in the balance beam category. Apart from her successful career in gymnastics, Simone co-authored a book with Mary Lou Retton and Michelle Burford called “Courage to Soar”, which talks about her journey towards becoming an Olympic star.
Simone was born in Ohio in 1997 to a mother who struggled with substance abuse. She and her younger sister Adria were adopted by their grandparents, Ron and Nellie, whom they fondly called “Mom”. Simone said that Nellie “encourages me and never lets me feel down about something for too long.” Her talent started to sprout at a very young age. While they were on a field trip at a gymnast center, she piqued the interest of a coach after seeing her copying the gymnasts there. Let’s just say she was at the right place at the right time. She went home with a letter in hand saying she should try out for tumbling or gymnastics. We all know what she chose.
Here’s a video of Simone doing a historic triple-double in slow motion.
In case you’re on mobile, here a Twitter link:
Simone Biles, in extreme slow motion. pic.twitter.com/mjdYp0zwkv
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) August 12, 2019
And here’s the video that’s not in slow motion:
Did you see the flips and twists clearly? With many records and achievements under her belt, Simone is surely a force to be reckoned with. I’m sure this young lady will only soar even higher than before.
