Simone Biles revolutionised gymnastics. This is how it happened
More than a decade ago, Simone Biles made her global debut at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Belgium, setting the stage for a career that would revolutionise gymnastics forever.
In the years since then she has won a total of 37 Olympic and World Championship medals. She can add to that now in Paris.
But it isn't just her winning record that sets her apart, it's the way she has publicly spoken about her mental health struggles that truly has made her one of the greatest of all time.
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Simone Biles on the balance beam. Getty
"Simone's been a key game-changer," Victoria University professor Clare Hanlon told Wide World of Sports.
"She has opened up about her personal and professional life and girls can relate to her.
"Simone has been so important for the sport because she's normalised mental health through sport and opened the conversation that has helped others."
Watch every moment, every medal of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 live and free on Channel 9 and 9Now. Plus, every event ad-free and in 4K on Stan Sport.
'I can do that'
The 27-year-old gymnast started her career almost by mistake at age six, when she attended a daycare field trip.
"We were meant to go to an oil ranch and we ended up at a gym because it was storming that day. We saw some girls flipping around and I had never seen gymnastics before. Me six years old, I (thought) 'I could do that'," Biles said during an episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast.
"I was watching them and I was super intrigued. I did something and the coaches looked over and asked 'what did you just do. Have you ever been to gymnastics?'.
"I did it again and they were looking at my body build, I was ripped. They sent a letter home and that's how I started."
Biles said it took time to lean into her talent and to realise the full extent of what she could achieve.
Simone Biles celebrates after her routine at the 2023 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships. Getty
'Say I can't do something and I'll do it'
Biles hit the ground running after securing her first all-around title at the 2013 Worlds in Antwerp, Belgium.
She introduced the double layout with a half-twist floor exercise to the world.
"She has created five new skills that are now named after her in the code of points," Hanlon said.
Biles won four World Championship gold medals the following year and another four in 2015.
She made her Olympic debut at Rio 2016, where she left little room for doubt, winning four gold medals in team, all-around, vault and floor. She also took home a bronze medal in the beam event.
From 2018-2020, the 27-year-old claimed a further nine gold medals at World Championship events.
There were high expectations on the shoulders of Biles leading into Tokyo 2020 and it was clear something was bubbling away within the gymnast.
Simone Biles at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Gymnastics Centre. Getty
Battle with inner demons
Despite adding two more medals to her growing tally, the 27-year-old said she could feel something was off while warming up for her event.
She would later speak of her intense battle within herself that led her to withdraw from the team final and women's all-around.
The 27-year-old described having "the twisties", a term Biles described as being disoriented while "lost in the air".
"I felt like I was fighting my body and my mind to do these tricks," she told the podcast.
She withdrew shortly after a shaky performance on vault.
"As soon as I landed (my vault), I was like, 'Oh, America hates me'," Biles said.
"The world is going to hate me. And I can only see what they're saying on Twitter right now'. That was my first thought."
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She has since become a fierce advocate for mental health, something that Professor Clare Hanlon believes sets her apart from many.
"I think that she's fighting her demons, and that's the big part about reinforcing the importance of having mental health first for athletes," she told Wide World of Sports.
"Simone's opened up the conversation and it's helped others and given confidence to others to (speak) up and that's important."
Biles' departure from the Tokyo Games also raised the question on whether athletes are pushed beyond their limits, Hanlon added.
"It's something to reflect on," she said.
"Simone uses her 7.3 million Instagram followers to show the importance of having a balanced lifestyle, that includes a healthy relationship with food and the importance of life outside gymnastics.
"It really shows that gymnastics has moved to (something) more humane and that's more encouraging from a grassroots level."
Paris is the home of the 2024 games. AP
Long awaited appearance at Paris 2024
The 27-year-old qualified for the US team at trials last month and appeared to be in better spirits in terms of her mental health.
"Success to me, means something a little bit different now," she shared with Olympics.com.
"Before, everybody defined success for me, even though I had my own narrative. Now, it's about showing up, being in a good mental space, having fun, and letting whatever happens happen.
"I'm not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps. I'm the first Simone Biles."
Watch every moment, every medal of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 live and free on Channel 9 and 9Now. Plus, every event ad-free and in 4K on Stan Sport.
