Team USA is stacked with talent from the dominating men’s and women’s basketball teams, to track star Alyson Felix to America’s gymnastics team. Four years ago we saw Gabby Douglas and team rise to stardom with their amazing performances in London. One of the rising stars on the newfound team is Simone Biles who stunned the world back in November with a memorable floor routine. But before we begin to cheer for Biles here are 5 facts about the new Olympic gymnast.
She’s already made history
At the 2015 World Gymnastics Championships in Glasgow, she became the first woman to win three gold medals back to back in the all-around portion. But she wasn’t done. Earlier this year, the Ohio native finished out the last day of the competition by winning her tenth gold medal at a world championship, which also marks her 14th medal overall and is yet another U.S record.
She was raised by her grandfather
Biles was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1997 to a mother who struggled with drug and alcohol addiction and was unable to care for Simone and her little sister Adria. So her grandfather Ron and his wife Nellie stepped in and raised the two young girls at their home in Houston, Texas.
Her obsession with gymnastics started early
It really didn’t take Simone long to realize that she loved being a gymnast, or at least the idea of it. After all, she was doing backflips off the family mailbox before even enrolling in a class. At 6-years-old she finally started taking classes and soon met her current coach Aimee Boorman.
Simone really, really doesn’t like bees
Her dislike for bees is pretty real. So real that it ran her off the podium .
During the 2014 Gymnastics World Championship in China, Romanian gymnast Larisa Iordache points out a bee on Biles’ bouquet. During the award ceremony, the 3 medalists ban together to avoid pretty much any contact with the bee.
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Who Is Simone Biles? 4 Facts About The Olympic’s Star Gymnast was originally published on theurbandaily.com
