Going for gold! Simone Biles is the most decorated American gymnast in history and has won a whopping 32 Olympic and World Championship medals.
The Texas resident, 24, won five of her Olympic-level medals during the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. Simone was awarded a gold in the categories team, all-around, vault and floor exercise. She also took home a bronze for balance beam. The athlete took home even more medals while competing during the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo along with her teammates Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles and Grace McCallum. Team USA won a silver in women’s artistic team all-around, and Simone won a bronze for balance beam.
In addition, the athlete won 25 medals at World Championships since she first entered in the prestigious competition in 2013, when she won two golds for all-around and floor exercise.
In October 2019, the Courage to Soar author beat the record for the most world-title medals won by anyone — male or female — during the World Championship in Stuttgart, Germany. She surpassed iconic Russian gymnast Vitaly Scherbo, who competed professionally from 1990 until the 1996 Olympics and previously held the title with 23 medals.
Needless to say, Simone is proud of her accomplishments and hopes to encourage other women to celebrate their successes.
“It’s important to teach our female youth that it’s OK to say, ‘Yes, I am good at this,’ and you don’t hold back,” the Dancing With the Stars alum previously told USA Today. “You only see the men doing it. And they’re praised for it, And the women are looked down upon for it. But I feel like it’s good [to do] because once you realize you’re confident and good at it, then you’re even better at what you do.”
“It’s not out of cockiness. I’ve won five World titles,” she continued. “If I say, ‘I’m the best gymnast there is,’ [the reaction is] ‘Oh, she’s cocky. Look at her now.’ No, the facts are literally on paper.”
Simone cheekily introduced the world to Goldie, a bedazzled goat featured on her leotard, in June 2021. The goat, which is a symbol for “Greatest Of All Time,” was to “hit back at the haters,” Simone explained to Marie Claire at the time.
“Let’s make the haters hate it, and the fans love it,” she quipped about the new addition to her uniform. “I just hope that kids growing up watching this don’t or aren’t ashamed of being good at whatever they do. And that’s my problem: when people kind of harp on other people that are good at something. And it’s like, everybody can say you’re good, but once you acknowledge it, it’s not cool anymore. And I want kids to learn that, yes, it’s okay to acknowledge that you’re good or even great at something.”