Is Simone Biles the Best US Olympian of All Time?

Simone Biles won another gold medal on July 30, 2024, making her the most decorated American gymnast in the history of the Olympics. However, there is some debate surrounding Biles’ standing as the greatest Olympian in American history.

While it’s virtually impossible to determine who the greatest Olympian is, especially when you try to compare different eras, different sports, and different disciplines, there is little debate about where Biles stands in the all-time ranking of Olympic gymnasts.

Who Is Simone Biles?

Simone Biles was born on March 14, 1997, in Columbus, Ohio. The third of four siblings, Biles’ mother was unable to care for her and her siblings, resulting in them going into the foster care system.

By the time Simone was three years old, her maternal grandfather, Ron Biles, and his wife took temporary custody of the four children before adopting Simone and her younger sister. Ron’s sister adopted the older two siblings, and the four of them grew up in Spring, Texas.

Simone Biles tried gymnastics for the first time when she was six, while on a field trip with her daycare. The coaches who were overseeing the field trip encouraged Ron and his wife to sign Biles up for more training.

No one had any way of knowing that a legend was born. In 2005, Biles began training with gymnastic coach, Aimee Boorman.

Biles’ career officially kicked off in 2011, when she was 14 years old. She placed third at the American Classic in Houston, Texas. Later that year, she placed 20th overall at the U.S. Classic in Chicago, Illinois, including finishing fifth on the balance beam and in floor exercise.

After competing internationally between 2013 and 2016, winning multiple competitions around the world.

Her performance on the international stage, combined with her multiple wins in domestic events, led to her being named to the 2016 Olympic team, where she would have the chance to represent her country in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.

Who is Simone Biles’ Husband?

Before we take a deeper dive into Simone Biles’ illustrious Olympic career, it’s also worth mentioning that she’s not the only athlete in her family. In 2023, Simone Biles married Jonathan Owens, who has been in the NFL since 2018.

Owens, who is a defensive back, began his career in 2018 when he signed with the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent.

In September of 2019, he signed to the practice squad of the Houston Texans. While under contract with the Texans, Owens met Biles when the two connected through social media.

By 2022, Owens had worked his way up from the practice squad and was appearing regularly in games for the team. His career took a turn on January 3, 2022, when he was placed on injured reserve by the Texans after dislocating his wrist in a game against the San Francisco 49ers.

When his contract expired, Owens signed with the Green Bay Packers, where he spent the 2023 season, often accompanied by Biles to games. The Packers and Owens weren’t able to agree on a new contract following that season, and he signed a two-year contract with the Chicago Bears.

As part of his contract, Owens was given permission to accompany Biles to Paris, France for the 2024 Summer Olympics, which took place during preseason training camp.

Simone Biles in Rio

While people who followed gymnastics closely were well aware of Simone Biles excellence, the world got to see her for the first time during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. She had won 10 gold medals in the World Championships between 2013 and 2015.

On August 9 of that year, Biles won her first Olympic gold medal in the team event. Biles was the only member of Team USA to compete in all four events in the final, where she contributed 61.8 of the USA’s 184.897 points. She would go on to win three more gold medals in 2016.

Biles went on a brief hiatus in 2017. That year, she wrote an autobiography and competed on the hit ABC show, “Dancing With the Stars.” While Biles was favored to win, she wound up eliminated one week before the finale and finished fourth.

In 2018, Biles rejoined the National Team and immediately won four gold medals at the World Championships in Doha. 2019 proved to be just as good for Biles when she won five more gold medals at the World Championships in Stuttgart.

Simone Biles Withdraws From the Tokyo Olympics

In February of 2020, Biles was announced as part of the team that would represent the United States at the Tokyo World Cup on April 4. However, a month before the competition was slated to begin, USA Gymnastics announced that Biles would not be traveling due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Months earlier, the entire world had been thrown into a state of unprecedented chaos due to the virus. Sporting events were shut down moments before they were slated to begin and arenas were evacuated.

From the fall of 2019 through the fall of 2020, sporting events, travel, concerts, and virtually everything else was changed.

The day after it was announced that Biles would not be traveling with Team USA, organizers of the Tokyo World Cup announced that the event would be canceled.

Due to the pandemic, the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo were pushed back. For the first time, the Olympics started roughly one year later than they were scheduled, taking place in July and August of 2021.

After qualifying for the finals in multiple events, something went wrong during Biles’ Amanar vault. Instead of her planned two-and-a-half rotations, Biles only completed one-and-a-half.

She would admit that she “felt the weight of the world on her shoulders,” and her performance struggles continued. In a historic moment, Biles withdrew from team competition citing a bout with “the twisties.”

Twisties are a problem faced by gymnasts who lose their sense of spatial awareness. When asked about her need to withdraw from the competition, Biles said, "I say put mental health first. Because if you don't, then you're not going to enjoy your sport and you're not going to succeed as much as you want to.

So it's OK sometimes to even sit out the big competitions to focus on yourself, because it shows how strong of a competitor and person that you really are — rather than just battle through it."

Media pundits, both American and international, spent weeks discussing this historic moment. Many chose to criticize Biles for what they deemed to be “selfish behavior” that “deprived her teammates of the chance to compete for gold.”

She also received death threats and insults on social media, including some insults that came from Russian state-owned media outlets.

The 2024 Olympics in Paris

After going back to the world of competitive gymnastics in 2023, it was announced that Biles would be a part of Team USA in 2024 for the Summer Olympics in Paris.

In the team event, she led Team USA to gold and became the first woman to compete in three Olympic games.

The 2024 Summer Olympics are still going on, so it remains to be seen if Biles will add to her impressive resume.

Is Simone Biles the Greatest US Olympian Ever?

It’s truly impossible to determine who holds the title of the greatest US Olympian ever. The United States has competed in so many games and has excelled in countless disciplines. However, there is little debate as to whether Simone Biles is the greatest gymnast in US history.

In addition to her incredible performances in the Olympics, Biles has also become an outspoken advocate for mental health awareness.

The 2028 Olympics are slated to take place in Los Angeles, California, and there have already been some questions as to whether Biles would compete for the US in her home country. While nothing has been officially announced, she has hinted at taking part in the 2028 Summer Olympics.