Simone Biles | Academy of Achievement

<!doctype html> <html lang="en-US"> <head><script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/bundle-playback.js?v=HxkREWBo" charset="utf-8"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/wombat.js?v=txqj7nKC" charset="utf-8"></script> <script>window.RufflePlayer=window.RufflePlayer||{};window.RufflePlayer.config={"autoplay":"on","unmuteOverlay":"hidden"};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/ruffle/ruffle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> __wm.init("https://web.archive.org/web"); __wm.wombat("https://achievement.org/achiever/simone-biles/","20200917235210","https://web.archive.org/","web","/_static/", "1600386730"); </script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/banner-styles.css?v=S1zqJCYt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/iconochive.css?v=3PDvdIFv" />  <meta charset="utf-8"> <meta http-equiv="x-ua-compatible" content="ie=edge"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="57x57" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/apple-touch-icon-57x57.png"/> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="114x114" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/apple-touch-icon-114x114.png"/> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="72x72" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/apple-touch-icon-72x72.png"/> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="144x144" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/apple-touch-icon-144x144.png"/> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="60x60" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/apple-touch-icon-60x60.png"/> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="120x120" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/apple-touch-icon-120x120.png"/> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="76x76" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/apple-touch-icon-76x76.png"/> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="152x152" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/apple-touch-icon-152x152.png"/> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/favicon-196x196.png" sizes="196x196"/> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/favicon-96x96.png" sizes="96x96"/> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/favicon-32x32.png" sizes="32x32"/> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/favicon-16x16.png" sizes="16x16"/> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/favicon-128.png" sizes="128x128"/> <meta name="application-name" content="Academy of Achievement"/> <meta name="msapplication-TileColor" content="#000000"/> <meta name="msapplication-TileImage" content="https://achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/mstile-144x144.png"/> <meta name="msapplication-square70x70logo" content="https://achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/mstile-70x70.png"/> <meta name="msapplication-square150x150logo" content="https://achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/mstile-150x150.png"/> <meta name="msapplication-wide310x150logo" content="https://achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/mstile-310x150.png"/> <meta name="msapplication-square310x310logo" content="https://achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/mstile-310x310.png"/> <link href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210cs_/https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Source+Sans+Pro:400,600,400italic,600italic,700,700italic&display=swap" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">  <title>Simone Biles | Academy of Achievement</title> <meta name="description" content="The gravity-defying performances of gymnast Simone Biles have placed her in a class by herself, demolishing previous standards of difficulty and inspiring the awe of coaches, competitors and former champions. Her life might have turned out very differently. At the age of two, she and her siblings were taken from their drug-addicted mother and placed in foster care. Adopted by her grandfather and his wife, she was introduced to gymnastics during a day-care field trip at age six. Her talent was evident from the beginning, but in her first adult competitions, she suffered her share of mishaps. Only three weeks after a particularly disastrous showing, she won her first U.S. Championship, and two months later, a world title. Since then, she has not lost a meet, winning four national and three world championships. At the 2016 Olympics, she won four gold medals, one as a member of the women’s championship team, and three more in the all-around, vault and floor exercise categories. At the 2019 World Championship she won five more gold medals — placing first in balance beam, vault, floor exercise, all-around, and as a member of the wining team. These victories boosted her total number of medals in World Championship competition to a record-breaking 25, in addition to her Olympic gold. She is now the most decorated competitive gymnast in history."/> <meta name="robots" content="index, follow"/> <meta name="googlebot" content="index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1"/> <meta name="bingbot" content="index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1"/> <link rel="canonical" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/simone-biles/"/> <meta property="og:locale" content="en_US"/> <meta property="og:type" content="article"/> <meta property="og:title" content="Simone Biles | Academy of Achievement"/> <meta property="og:description" content="The gravity-defying performances of gymnast Simone Biles have placed her in a class by herself, demolishing previous standards of difficulty and inspiring the awe of coaches, competitors and former champions. Her life might have turned out very differently. At the age of two, she and her siblings were taken from their drug-addicted mother and placed in foster care. Adopted by her grandfather and his wife, she was introduced to gymnastics during a day-care field trip at age six. Her talent was evident from the beginning, but in her first adult competitions, she suffered her share of mishaps. Only three weeks after a particularly disastrous showing, she won her first U.S. Championship, and two months later, a world title. Since then, she has not lost a meet, winning four national and three world championships. At the 2016 Olympics, she won four gold medals, one as a member of the women’s championship team, and three more in the all-around, vault and floor exercise categories. At the 2019 World Championship she won five more gold medals — placing first in balance beam, vault, floor exercise, all-around, and as a member of the wining team. These victories boosted her total number of medals in World Championship competition to a record-breaking 25, in addition to her Olympic gold. She is now the most decorated competitive gymnast in history."/> <meta property="og:url" content="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/simone-biles/"/> <meta property="og:site_name" content="Academy of Achievement"/> <meta property="article:modified_time" content="2019-10-13T17:46:17+00:00"/> <meta property="og:image" content="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/biles-Feature-Image-2800x1120.jpg"/> <meta property="og:image:width" content="2800"/> <meta property="og:image:height" content="1120"/> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary"/> <meta name="twitter:creator" content="@achievers1961"/> <meta name="twitter:site" content="@achievers1961"/> <script type="application/ld+json" class="yoast-schema-graph">{"@context":"https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/#organization","name":"Academy of Achievement","url":"https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/","sameAs":["https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://www.linkedin.com/company/american-academy-of-achievement","https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChe_87uh1H-NIMf3ndTjPFw","https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_of_Achievement","https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://twitter.com/achievers1961"],"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/#logo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/12.png","width":1200,"height":630,"caption":"Academy of Achievement"},"image":{"@id":"https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/#logo"}},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/#website","url":"https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/","name":"Academy of Achievement","description":"A museum of living history","publisher":{"@id":"https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/search/{search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/simone-biles/#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/biles-Feature-Image-2800x1120.jpg","width":2800,"height":1120},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/simone-biles/#webpage","url":"https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/simone-biles/","name":"Simone Biles | Academy of Achievement","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/simone-biles/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2018-02-14T18:09:02+00:00","dateModified":"2019-10-13T17:46:17+00:00","description":"The gravity-defying performances of gymnast Simone Biles have placed her in a class by herself, demolishing previous standards of difficulty and inspiring the awe of coaches, competitors and former champions. 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role="document"> <div class="content"> <main class="main"> <div class="feature-area__container"> <header class="feature-area feature-area--has-image ratio-container ratio-container--feature"> <figure class="feature-box"> <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image feature-area__image" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/biles-Feature-Image-2800x1120.jpg [(max-width:544px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2018/02/biles-Feature-Image-2800x1120-1400x560.jpg [(max-width:992px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2018/02/biles-Feature-Image-2800x1120.jpg"></div> <div class="display--table"> <div class="display--table-cell"> <figcaption class="feature-area__text ratio-container__text container"> <div class="feature-area__text-inner text-white"> <h2 class="serif-8 feature-area__text-subhead back"><a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever">All achievers</a></h2> <h1 class="serif-1 entry-title feature-area__text-headline">Simone Biles</h1> <h5 class="sans-6 feature-area__blurb">Gymnast and Olympic Gold Medalist</h5> </div> </figcaption> </div> </div> </figure> </header> </div>  <nav class="in-page-nav row fixedsticky"> <ul class="nav text-xs-center clearfix" role="tablist"> <li class="nav-item col-xs-3"> <a class="nav-link active" data-toggle="tab" href="#biography" role="tab" data-gtm-category="tab" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever Biography">Biography</a> </li> <li class="nav-item col-xs-3"> <a class="nav-link" data-toggle="tab" href="#profile" role="tab" data-gtm-category="tab" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever Profile">Profile</a> </li> <li class="nav-item col-xs-3"> <a class="nav-link" data-toggle="tab" href="#interview" role="tab" data-gtm-category="tab" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever Interview">Interview</a> </li> <li class="nav-item col-xs-3"> <a class="nav-link" data-toggle="tab" href="#gallery" role="tab" data-gtm-category="tab" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever Gallery">Gallery</a> </li> </ul> </nav> <article class="post-42674 achiever type-achiever status-publish has-post-thumbnail hentry careers-athlete"> <div class="entry-content container clearfix">  <div class="tab-content"> <div class="tab-pane active" id="biography" role="tabpanel"> <section class="achiever--biography"> <div class="row"> <header class="editorial-article__header col-md-8 col-md-offset-2 text-xs-center"> <i class="icon-icon_bio text-brand-primary"></i> <h3 class="serif-3 quote-marks">Everyone around you can tell you, ‘Oh, you can do this,’ but then whenever you really start to believe in yourself, that’s when it comes to life. But you also have to be a little bit fearless.</h3> </header> </div> <div class="row"> <aside class="col-md-4 sidebar clearfix"> <h2 class="serif-3 p-b-1">The Courage to Soar</h2> <div class="col-xs-12 sidebar--chunk p-b-2"> <dt class="serif-7">Date of Birth</dt> <dd class="sans-2"> March 14, 1997 </dd> </div> </aside> <article class="editorial-article col-md-8"> <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"> <html><body data-rsssl="1"><figure id="attachment_42787" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-42787" style="width: 1280px" class="wp-caption alignright"><noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-42787 " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210im_/https://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-simone-biles-sister-adria.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-42787 lazyload" alt="" width="1280" height="960" data-sizes="(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px" data-srcset="/web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-simone-biles-sister-adria.jpg 1280w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-simone-biles-sister-adria-380x285.jpg 380w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-simone-biles-sister-adria-760x570.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-simone-biles-sister-adria.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-42787" class="wp-caption-text">2002: Simone Biles at age six with younger sister, Adria.</figcaption></figure> <p>Simone Biles was born in Columbus, Ohio. Both of her parents struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction. Her birth father abandoned the family, and her mother, Shannon, was unable to care for Simone and her three siblings. After spending time in foster care, three-year-old Simone and her younger sister, Adria, were adopted by Shannon’s father, Ron Biles, and his second wife, Nellie. Simone’s older brother and sister were adopted by Ron Biles’s sister. Ron Biles is an Air Force veteran and former air traffic controller. Nellie is a trained nurse who owned and operated a string of nursing homes in the Houston area. They gave Simone and Adria a secure upbringing in Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston, and the girls have always regarded Ron and Nellie as their mother and father. From the beginning, Simone was an active child, running and jumping wherever she could. Her natural strength and high energy combined with an unusual degree of physical daring. “Just a very brave child,” is how she describes herself at that age. On a daycare field trip at age six, she was taken to a gym and saw older girls practicing gymnastics. When the coaches saw the six-year-old Simone successfully imitating the feats of girls in their teens, they wrote a note to the family suggesting that the child take regular gymnastic classes. She began a training program at Bannon’s Gymnastix in Houston with Coach Aimee Boorman. The energetic child took to the training quickly and set out on the long road to becoming a champion.</p> <figure id="attachment_42795" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-42795" style="width: 2280px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-42795 " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210im_/https://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/WP-2-13-ANTWERP-GettyImages-183441234.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-42795 lazyload" alt="" width="2280" height="3420" data-sizes="(max-width: 2280px) 100vw, 2280px" data-srcset="/web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/WP-2-13-ANTWERP-GettyImages-183441234.jpg 2280w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/WP-2-13-ANTWERP-GettyImages-183441234-253x380.jpg 253w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/WP-2-13-ANTWERP-GettyImages-183441234-507x760.jpg 507w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/WP-2-13-ANTWERP-GettyImages-183441234.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-42795" class="wp-caption-text">October 6, 2013: 16-year-old Simone Biles of Team USA after winning the gold medal in the floor exercise final of the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships held at the Antwerp Sports Palace in Antwerpen, Belgium. Biles beat a field of Olympians to win the world all-around title in her first major international meet. (Dean Mouhtaropoulos)</figcaption></figure> <p>The exuberance and boundless energy that made Biles a star pupil at Bannon’s Gymnastix posed a different challenge to her teachers and classmates in public school. At an early age, she received a diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Like most young people with this diagnosis, she was prescribed the stimulant Ritalin. With its use, she was able to focus for longer periods on the task before her, whether academic or gymnastic. Nellie Biles was a great help to Simone as well, sitting down with her at the beginning of each year to write a list of goals for the next 12 months and to record her progress throughout the year.</p> <p>Simon Biles made her first appearance in junior national competition at the 2011 American Classic in Houston, placing third in the all-around competition and first in the vault. Simone was now at a crossroads. Making the commitment to competitive gymnastics would require sacrifice. At age 14, Biles left her public school to be homeschooled. From then on, she would forgo the usual round of teenage social activities to train for six to eight hours a day.</p> <figure id="attachment_42777" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-42777" style="width: 2280px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="wp-image-42777 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210im_/https://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2014-GettyImages-457103038.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-42777 size-full lazyload" alt="" width="2280" height="1573" data-sizes="(max-width: 2280px) 100vw, 2280px" data-srcset="/web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2014-GettyImages-457103038.jpg 2280w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2014-GettyImages-457103038-380x262.jpg 380w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2014-GettyImages-457103038-760x524.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2014-GettyImages-457103038.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-42777" class="wp-caption-text">October 12, 2014: 17-year-old Simone Biles performs during the women’s floor exercise final at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships held in Nanning, China at the Guangxi Gymnasium. Biles would take home four World Championship gold medals, locking down the team championship, the individual all-around title, and the beam and floor exercise apparatus finals. She would take a silver medal on vault. (KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure> <p>At the 2012 American Classic, she placed third on the balance beam, tied for second in floor exercise, and took first place in both the vault and all-around competition.  At the 2012 U.S. Classic, she placed second in floor exercise and again finished first in vault and all-around. She finished first on vault again at the USA Gymnastics National Championships and was named to the United States Junior National Team.</p> <figure id="attachment_42778" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-42778" style="width: 2280px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="wp-image-42778 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210im_/https://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2015-GettyImages-494523760.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-42778 size-full lazyload" alt="" width="2280" height="1523" data-sizes="(max-width: 2280px) 100vw, 2280px" data-srcset="/web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2015-GettyImages-494523760.jpg 2280w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2015-GettyImages-494523760-380x254.jpg 380w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2015-GettyImages-494523760-760x508.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2015-GettyImages-494523760.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-42778" class="wp-caption-text">October 27, 2015: Gabrielle Douglas, Simone Biles, Margaret Nichols, Alexandra Raisman and Madison Kocian during day five of the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships at The SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland. In team finals, Biles helped the United States win the women’s team all-around title for the third straight time and she became the first woman to win three consecutive all-around titles in World Gymnastics Championships history.</figcaption></figure> <p>At age 15, she was a few months too young to compete for a place on the 2012 Olympic team, a circumstance which may have been more fortunate than it appeared at the time. When she made her senior international debut at the 2013 American Cup, her strength, particularly on the vault, was apparent to all. Competing for the United States at Jesolo, Italy, she took gold medals in all-around, vault, balance beam and floor exercise. In competition with teams from Germany and Romania at Chemnitz, Germany, she again won vault, balance beam and floor exercise, but trouble lay ahead.</p> <figure id="attachment_42779" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-42779" style="width: 2280px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-42779 " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210im_/https://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-AUGUST9-DAY-4-GettyImages-587771298.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-42779 lazyload" alt="" width="2280" height="1592" data-sizes="(max-width: 2280px) 100vw, 2280px" data-srcset="/web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-AUGUST9-DAY-4-GettyImages-587771298.jpg 2280w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-AUGUST9-DAY-4-GettyImages-587771298-380x265.jpg 380w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-AUGUST9-DAY-4-GettyImages-587771298-760x531.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-AUGUST9-DAY-4-GettyImages-587771298.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-42779" class="wp-caption-text">August 9, 2016: Gold medalists Simone Biles, Gabrielle Douglas, Lauren Hernandez, Madison Kocian and Alexandra Raisman of the United States celebrate on the podium at the medal ceremony for the Artistic Gymnastics Women’s Team on day four of the 2016 Olympic Games at Rio Olympic Arena, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo: Getty Images)</figcaption></figure> <p>At the 2013 U.S. Classic, she lost control on the balance beam and fell during her floor exercise. Her coach, Aimee Boorman, was forced to pull her from the meet.  Observers of the gymnastics circuit wondered openly whether her undeniable strength and agility were enough to overcome some inner deficiency. Biles consulted a sports psychologist and attended a private training camp with legendary coach Márta Károlyi. Biles does not discuss the substance of these sessions in detail, but something clicked. She learned to put the expectations of others out of her mind and enjoy her performance in the moment. Only three weeks after her disastrous showing at the Classic, she won the USA Gymnastics National Championship and was named to the Senior National Team. Two months after that, she won World Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium — her first international title — scoring first on floor exercise, second on the vault and first in all-around. She has not lost a meet since.</p> <figure id="attachment_42782" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-42782" style="width: 2280px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-42782 " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210im_/https://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-DAY6-RIO-GettyImages-639363098.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-42782 lazyload" alt="" width="2280" height="2280" data-sizes="(max-width: 2280px) 100vw, 2280px" data-srcset="/web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-DAY6-RIO-GettyImages-639363098.jpg 2280w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-DAY6-RIO-GettyImages-639363098-190x190.jpg 190w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-DAY6-RIO-GettyImages-639363098-380x380.jpg 380w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-DAY6-RIO-GettyImages-639363098-760x760.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-DAY6-RIO-GettyImages-639363098.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-42782" class="wp-caption-text">August 11, 2016: Simone Biles in action on her uneven bars routine during her gold medal performance in the artistic gymnastics women’s individual all-around final at the Rio Olympic Arena, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Getty)</figcaption></figure> <p>Biles was setting a new standard of performance in her sport. The height of her jumps, the speed of her turns, and the security of her landings set her apart from all competitors. Under the historic ten-point system of the International Federation of Gymnastics, a gymnast’s performance in each event was rated on a fixed scale of one to ten. This system encouraged competitors to perfect traditional skills, and above all, to avoid making mistakes, rather than experimenting with new moves.  Under a new open-ended scale, instituted by the federation in 2006, higher levels of difficulty could be recognized, and Biles was prepared to push the envelope. On the vault and balance beam, she added extra twists and flips to her dismounts.  While she recovered from a knee injury, her coach suggested that she conclude a double layout (flipping end over end with straight legs and body) by executing a half-twist and landing on one foot, sparing the tender knee. Biles introduced the new skill at the 2013 World Championships; it has now entered the repertoire and is known as the Biles.</p> <figure id="attachment_42781" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-42781" style="width: 2280px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-42781 " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210im_/https://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-AUGUST14-PODIUM-GOLDMEDAL-GettyImages-589497292.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-42781 lazyload" alt="" width="2280" height="3420" data-sizes="(max-width: 2280px) 100vw, 2280px" data-srcset="/web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-AUGUST14-PODIUM-GOLDMEDAL-GettyImages-589497292.jpg 2280w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-AUGUST14-PODIUM-GOLDMEDAL-GettyImages-589497292-253x380.jpg 253w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-AUGUST14-PODIUM-GOLDMEDAL-GettyImages-589497292-507x760.jpg 507w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-AUGUST14-PODIUM-GOLDMEDAL-GettyImages-589497292.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-42781" class="wp-caption-text">August 14, 2016: Simon Biles atop the podium — with Russia’s Maria Paseka and Switzerland’s Giulia Steingruber — as the national anthem for the United States plays, after the women’s vault event final of the artistic gymnastics at the Olympic Arena during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (© BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure> <p>In 2014, Biles and her coach, Aimee Boorman, ended their relationship with Bannon’s Gymnastix. Ron and Nellie Biles have opened a new facility, the Word Champions Centre, in Spring, Texas, where Boorman and Biles trained for the subsequent seasons. A shoulder injury kept Biles out of competition at the beginning of the 2014 season, but she returned in the 2014 U.S. Classic in Chicago, tying for first on the balance beam, taking first place in vault and floor exercise, and winning the all-around by a wide margin. She now routinely finished ahead of her nearest competitors by margins of whole points rather than factions, as is more customary. At the 2014 USA Gymnastics National Championships, Biles tied for the silver on balance beam, despite a fall during her final routine of the two-day meet. She won the gold in the vault and floor exercise to emerge as national all-around champion after two days of competition, finishing more than four points ahead of her nearest competitor. Later that year, at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Nanning, China, Biles took a silver medal in the vault, gold in the balance beam and floor exercise, and won her second consecutive world all-around title.</p> <figure id="attachment_42783" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-42783" style="width: 2280px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-42783 " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210im_/https://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-FLAG-GettyImages-593256072.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-42783 lazyload" alt="" width="2280" height="1520" data-sizes="(max-width: 2280px) 100vw, 2280px" data-srcset="/web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-FLAG-GettyImages-593256072.jpg 2280w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-FLAG-GettyImages-593256072-380x253.jpg 380w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-FLAG-GettyImages-593256072-760x507.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-FLAG-GettyImages-593256072.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-42783" class="wp-caption-text">August 21, 2016: Simone Biles holds the American flag during the closing ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Maracanã stadium. “It’s an incredible honor to be selected as the flag-bearer by my Team USA teammates,” Biles said in a statement. “This experience has been the dream of a lifetime for me and my team and I consider it a privilege to represent my country, the United States Olympic Committee and USA Gymnastics by carrying our flag. I also wish to thank the city of Rio de Janeiro, and the entire country of Brazil, for hosting an incredible Games.”</figcaption></figure> <p>Biles began 2015 with victories in the AT&T American Cup in Arlington, Texas and the City of Jesolo Trophy in Italy. At that year’s U.S. Classic, she finished first in the all-around competition, with first place finishes in balance beam, vault and floor exercise. Although she had won early acceptance to UCLA, she made the decision to become a professional, thereby forfeiting the opportunity to compete for UCLA.</p> <p>Her winning streak continued with a third consecutive all-around championship at the 2015 U.S. National. She won a third international title at the World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. In Glasgow, she took gold medals in balance beam and floor exercise again, bringing her total medal and gold medal count to the highest ever won by any female in world gymnastics competition. She was named Team USA Athlete of the Year.</p> <figure id="attachment_42785" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-42785" style="width: 1067px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-42785 " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210im_/https://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-Book-Courage-to-Soar.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-42785 lazyload" alt="" width="1067" height="1600" data-sizes="(max-width: 1067px) 100vw, 1067px" data-srcset="/web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-Book-Courage-to-Soar.jpg 1067w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-Book-Courage-to-Soar-253x380.jpg 253w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-Book-Courage-to-Soar-507x760.jpg 507w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-Book-Courage-to-Soar.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-42785" class="wp-caption-text">November 2016: In her memoir, <em>Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance,</em> Simone Biles takes you through the events, challenges, and trials that carried her from foster care to a spot on the 2016 Olympic team.</figcaption></figure> <p>She embarked upon a new year of competition, one that would see her participate in the Olympics for the first time. She began the year winning an all-around victory at the Pacific Rim Championships with the highest scores on vault, floor and balance beam.  At the 2016 USA Gymnastics National Championships, she again won the titles in vault and floor exercise, winning the all-around title.</p> <p>As expected, Biles was selected for the 2016 Olympics team, and Coach Boorman was chosen to head the USA Gymnastics Women’s Team. The 2016 Olympic Games were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. On August 9, 2016, Biles led the American gymnasts to victory in the team event, with a score more than eight points ahead of the second-place Russian team. Two days later, Biles took the gold medal in the all-around event, with the highest scores on vault, floor and balance beam. She won a second individual gold medal in the vault. Despite her first-place finish on the balance beam in the all-around competition a few days earlier, an unexpected error marred an otherwise impressive performance on the balance beam final. She still received a bronze medal for that event. She ended by winning a fourth gold medal in the floor exercise final. Besides tying a number of other world records, she set a new American record for most gold medals in gymnastics at a single Olympics Games. Between her performances at the Olympics and in World Championship competition, she has won 19 medals, making her the most decorated American gymnast of all time. As Team USA’s outstanding star of the Games, Biles was chosen by her teammates to carry her country’s flag in the closing ceremonies.</p> <figure id="attachment_42784" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-42784" style="width: 2280px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-42784 " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210im_/https://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2017-JULY-ESPY-GettyImages-813582164-1.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-42784 lazyload" alt="" width="2280" height="1520" data-sizes="(max-width: 2280px) 100vw, 2280px" data-srcset="/web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2017-JULY-ESPY-GettyImages-813582164-1.jpg 2280w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2017-JULY-ESPY-GettyImages-813582164-1-380x253.jpg 380w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2017-JULY-ESPY-GettyImages-813582164-1-760x507.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2017-JULY-ESPY-GettyImages-813582164-1.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-42784" class="wp-caption-text">July 2017: Biles accepts the award for Best Female Athlete during the 25th annual ESPY Awards in Los Angeles.</figcaption></figure> <p>In the wake of the Games, Russian computer hackers gained access to the medical records of Biles and other Team USA athletes. They disclosed that Biles had tested positive for Ritalin and tried to use this information to discredit her performance. Biles freely admitted that she has long taken Ritalin for ADHD and the Olympics Committee confirmed that she had received a therapeutic exemption to continue her medication while competing. Her forthright discussion of her experience with ADHD gave encouragement to many young people in similar situations.</p> <p>After 13 years of incessant practice and competition, Biles decided to take a year off before resuming training for the 2020 Olympics. In 2017, she was given the ESPY Award for Best Female Athlete of the Year. After her lifelong coach Aimee Boorman moved from Texas to Florida, Biles resumed training with Coach Laurent Landi.</p> <figure id="attachment_40725" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-40725" style="width: 2280px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="wp-image-40725 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210im_/https://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/wp-LondonSummit_0278.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-40725 size-full lazyload" alt="" width="2280" height="2850" data-sizes="(max-width: 2280px) 100vw, 2280px" data-srcset="/web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/wp-LondonSummit_0278.jpg 2280w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/wp-LondonSummit_0278-304x380.jpg 304w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/wp-LondonSummit_0278-608x760.jpg 608w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/wp-LondonSummit_0278.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-40725" class="wp-caption-text">2017 Academy guest of honor Simone Biles addresses delegates and members at a symposium session during the Academy of Achievement’s 52nd annual International Achievement Summit at Claridge’s hotel in Mayfair, London.</figcaption></figure> <p>The world of female competitive gymnastics was rocked in early 2018, as more than 150 former patients of Team USA doctor Larry Nassar had accused him of sexually abusing them while they were under his care. On January 18, Simone Biles added her name to the list. Nassar was sentenced to 60 years in prison on federal child pornography charges, and in two different trials, was sentenced to 40 to 175 years for multiple counts of sexual assault. He will spend the rest of his life in prison. Simone Biles praised the judges’ decisions in the case and called on the U.S. Olympic Committee to reach out to abuse survivors such as herself.</p> <p>After a 711-day layoff, Simone Biles made a triumphant return to public competition at the U.S. Classic in July 2018.  She posted the highest scores on vault, floor exercise, balance beam, and all-around performance. At the USA Gymnastics National Championships the following month, Biles won gold medals in all four events — her first medal for the uneven bars, previously regarded as her weakest event — and took the all-around title. She is only the second woman in history to win all five gold medals at the National.  Biles wore a teal-colored leotard for her historic performance, a gesture of solidarity with all victims of sexual assault.</p> <figure id="attachment_59140" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-59140" style="width: 2935px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-59140 " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210im_/https://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2018-GettyImages-1056411612.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-59140 lazyload" alt="" width="2935" height="4403" data-sizes="(max-width: 2935px) 100vw, 2935px" data-srcset="/web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2018-GettyImages-1056411612.jpg 2935w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2018-GettyImages-1056411612-253x380.jpg 253w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2018-GettyImages-1056411612-507x760.jpg 507w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2018-GettyImages-1056411612.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-59140" class="wp-caption-text">November 2, 2018: 21-year-old Simone Biles celebrates her gold medal in the Vault exercise during day nine of the 2018 FIG Artistic Gymnastics Championships at Aspire Dome in Doha, Qatar. Biles capped a remarkable 2018 world gymnastics championships by claiming gold on floor exercise and bronze on balance beam during the event finals, giving her six medals for the meet and 20 overall in the world championships. (Photo: Francois Nel/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure> <p>At the 2018 World Gymnastics Championship, Biles won a medal in every event: bronze in the balance beam, silver in the uneven bars, and gold medals in the floor exercise, vault and team final, and for all-around individual performance.  The first American competitor to win a medal in every event at the World Championship, she achieved this remarkable performance while suffering from a painful kidney stone.  Delaying treatment until after the competition, she declined pain medication that would have prevented her from qualifying under anti-doping regulations.</p> <p>At the World Championships held in Stuttgart, Germany in October 2019, she led Team USA to its fifth consecutive victory and won five more gold medals — in balance beam, floor exercise, vault, all-around, and as a member of the winning team.  This was her seventh all-around title, and raised her total number of medals in world competition to 25, an all-time record.  She is now the most decorated gymnast in history.  As she approaches the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, she dominates her sport as no one has before.</p> </body></html> <div class="clearfix"> </div> </article> </div> </section> </div> <div class="tab-pane" id="profile" role="tabpanel"> <section class="clearfix"> <header class="editorial-article__header"> <figure class="text-xs-center"> <img class="inductee-badge" src="/web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/inducted-badge@2x.png" alt="Inducted Badge" width="120" height="120"/> <figcaption class="serif-3 text-brand-primary"> Inducted in 2017 </figcaption> </figure> </header> <div class="row"> <aside class="col-md-4 sidebar"> <dl class="clearfix m-b-0"> <div class="col-xs-12 sidebar--chunk p-b-2"> <dt class="serif-7">Career</dt> <dd class="sans-2"> <div><a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/#filter=.athlete">Athlete</a></div> </dd> </div> <div class="col-xs-12 sidebar--chunk p-b-2"> <dt class="serif-7">Date of Birth</dt> <dd class="sans-2"> March 14, 1997 </dd> </div> </dl> </aside> <article class="col-md-8 editorial-article clearfix"> <p>The gravity-defying performances of gymnast Simone Biles have placed her in a class by herself, demolishing previous standards of difficulty and inspiring the awe of coaches, competitors and former champions.</p> <p>Her life might have turned out very differently. At the age of two, she and her siblings were taken from their drug-addicted mother and placed in foster care. Adopted by her grandfather and his wife, she was introduced to gymnastics during a day-care field trip at age six. Her talent was evident from the beginning, but in her first adult competitions, she suffered her share of mishaps. Only three weeks after a particularly disastrous showing, she won her first U.S. Championship, and two months later, a world title. Since then, she has not lost a meet, winning four national and three world championships.</p> <p>At the 2016 Olympics, she won four gold medals, one as a member of the women’s championship team, and three more in the all-around, vault and floor exercise categories. At the 2019 World Championship she won five more gold medals — placing first in balance beam, vault, floor exercise, all-around, and as a member of the wining team. These victories boosted her total number of medals in World Championship competition to a record-breaking 25, in addition to her Olympic gold. She is now the most decorated competitive gymnast in history.</p> </article> </div> </section> </div> <div class="tab-pane" id="interview" role="tabpanel"> <section class="clearfix"> <div class="col-md-12 interview-feature-video"> <figure> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/AQHtdJa4-FM?feature=oembed&hd=1&modestbranding=1&rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Biles-Simone-2017-MasterEdit.00_12_25_04.Still005-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Biles-Simone-2017-MasterEdit.00_12_25_04.Still005-760x428.jpg"></div> <div class="video-tag sans-4"> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> <div class="video-tag__text">Watch full interview</div> </div> </div> </figure> </div> <header class="col-md-12 text-xs-center m-b-2"> <i class="icon-icon_bio text-brand-primary"></i> </header> <aside class="col-md-4 sidebar"> <h2 class="serif-3 achiever--biography-subtitle">The Courage to Soar</h2> <div class="sans-2">London, England</div> <div class="sans-2">October 18, 2017</div> </aside> <article class="editorial-article col-md-8">   <div class="achiever__interview-copy"> <p><strong>How did you first become involved in gymnastics?</strong></p> </div>     <div class="achiever__video-block"> <figure class="achiever__interview-video"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/SxnjbWESMWQ?feature=oembed&hd=1&modestbranding=1&rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Biles-Simone-2017-MasterEdit.00_45_22_04.Still008-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Biles-Simone-2017-MasterEdit.00_45_22_04.Still008-760x428.jpg"></div> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> </div> </figure>  <div class="achiever__interview-video__copy"> <p>Simone Biles: So I was six years old, whenever I went on this daycare field trip, and all I can really remember is, the gym that I went to, it was split into two sections. So the front of the gym was like the rec, and then the back gym where all the team girls were working out — and I remember being on a trampoline, kind of like peeking through because there was a wall that divided it, but it was really just the bathrooms. So I remember peeking back, and I would see these girls on the tramps and on the beams, and all that tumbling and flipping, and I was like, “I think I can do that.” So then I started copying them, and then a coach came over and was like, “Have you ever done it?” And then they just sent a letter home. It’s kind of a blur because I didn’t think in that moment my life would have changed and I would be who I am today. So it’s like, you don’t really remember it too much.</p> </div> </div>      <div class="achiever__video-block"> <figure class="achiever__interview-video"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/WuFyMdUy3Pk?feature=oembed&hd=1&modestbranding=1&rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Biles-Simone-2017-MasterEdit.00_21_13_20.Still013-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Biles-Simone-2017-MasterEdit.00_21_13_20.Still013-760x428.jpg"></div> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> </div> </figure>  <div class="achiever__interview-video__copy"> <p>I started setting goals in gymnastics, thinking what did I want to do with the sport. As I progressed and got older, I started setting more goals. And whenever – I was around 14 years old — I made a lot of sacrifices. I decided to give up public school, go to homeschool. I gave up all the school dances. I’ve never been to a prom. Never done a lot of those things that maybe most of your kids are doing or want to do. But I fell in love with the sport. So I guess that’s what I got out of it. I got to go to World Championships; I got to go to the Olympics. I got to live out a lot of dreams that most kids dream of since they were little kids in Mommy and Me classes. So I’m very grateful for that. But it also made me set goals at a very young age, which I can’t be more proud of.</p> </div> </div>      <div class="achiever__interview-copy"> <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"> <html><body data-rsssl="1"><figure id="attachment_42776" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-42776" style="width: 2280px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-42776 " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210im_/https://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2013-GettyImages-183115694.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-42776 lazyload" alt="" width="2280" height="3420" data-sizes="(max-width: 2280px) 100vw, 2280px" data-srcset="/web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2013-GettyImages-183115694.jpg 2280w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2013-GettyImages-183115694-253x380.jpg 253w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2013-GettyImages-183115694-507x760.jpg 507w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2013-GettyImages-183115694.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-42776" class="wp-caption-text">October 4, 2013: Simone Biles of Team USA competes in the floor exercise during the women’s all-around final on day five of the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships Belgium at Antwerp Sports Palace, Antwerpen, Belgium.</figcaption></figure> <p><strong>Speaking of setting goals, we understand you have an annual routine with your mom where you write this all down.</strong></p> </body></html> </div>     <div class="achiever__video-block"> <figure class="achiever__interview-video"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/d9K826-t4EY?feature=oembed&hd=1&modestbranding=1&rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Biles-Simone-2017-MasterEdit.00_30_54_14.Still003-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Biles-Simone-2017-MasterEdit.00_30_54_14.Still003-760x428.jpg"></div> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> </div> <figcaption class="achiever__interview-video-terms"> <span>Keys to success —</span> <a class="comma-item" href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/keys-to-success/preparation/">Preparation</a> </figcaption> </figure>  <div class="achiever__interview-video__copy"> <p>So whenever I started really progressing in gymnastics and getting good, she would call me into the office, and at the beginning of every year we would sit down; I would write down my goals — short-term and long-term — and then it just kind of started being a thing, so that you have a visual so that you’re not just chasing after one big thing, and you never know if you’re going to get there. Because there are always little steps that you have to get before you reach the bigger goal, and sometimes it’s easier to see it if you write it down on paper.</p> </div> </div>      <div class="achiever__interview-copy"> <p><strong>We all have to deal with setbacks and disappointment in our lives, but as a competitive gymnast you succeed or fail in a very public way. You can literally fall on your face.</strong></p> </div>     <div class="achiever__video-block"> <figure class="achiever__interview-video"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/2JMgVP3oFrc?feature=oembed&hd=1&modestbranding=1&rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Biles-Simone-2017-MasterEdit.00_46_37_07.Still010-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Biles-Simone-2017-MasterEdit.00_46_37_07.Still010-760x428.jpg"></div> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> </div> <figcaption class="achiever__interview-video-terms"> <span>Keys to success —</span> <a class="comma-item" href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/keys-to-success/perseverance/">Perseverance</a> </figcaption> </figure>  <div class="achiever__interview-video__copy"> <p>Simone Biles: I think most of the time, whenever we fall on our face or whatnot, it’s so embarrassing for ourselves, so we try not to think back to those moments. But then you can go back, and you’re like, “That’s the exact moment that I wanted to change what I was doing so I could be more successful.” Or you thought, “I’m never going to let that happen again.” So you almost use it as like ammo to be better, and to not let that happen, because it is very stressful and embarrassing, and it’s just not fun, and it hurts. So we try not to do that, but those moments always make us stronger and build us into the person that we want to become.</p> </div> </div>      <div class="achiever__video-block"> <figure class="achiever__interview-video"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/bXX3saVIA_I?feature=oembed&hd=1&modestbranding=1&rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Biles-Simone-2017-MasterEdit.00_18_59_01.Still011-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Biles-Simone-2017-MasterEdit.00_18_59_01.Still011-760x428.jpg"></div> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> </div> <figcaption class="achiever__interview-video-terms"> <span>Keys to success —</span> <a class="comma-item" href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/keys-to-success/perseverance/">Perseverance</a> </figcaption> </figure>  <div class="achiever__interview-video__copy"> <p>Simone Biles: I feel like we have our ups and down, as every athlete does, and every athlete has almost a breaking point where you’re just like, “Is it even worth it?” But I feel like even in those moments, you have people that surround you that don’t let you give up, because it’s not easy doing a sport for so many years, and then just giving up on a bad day. So I think if you give up on a bad day, it just kind of shows who you are, so we always want to push through those bad moments. But there are moments when you don’t know if you can succeed like you want to, or your goals are out of reach and your dreams, and it’s saddening, but then you have the support system around you to remind you that you can do it.</p> </div> </div>      <div class="achiever__interview-copy"> <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"> <html><body data-rsssl="1"><figure id="attachment_42780" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-42780" style="width: 2280px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-42780 " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210im_/https://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-AUGUST9-DAY4-GettyImages-587846816.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-42780 lazyload" alt="" width="2280" height="1483" data-sizes="(max-width: 2280px) 100vw, 2280px" data-srcset="/web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-AUGUST9-DAY4-GettyImages-587846816.jpg 2280w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-AUGUST9-DAY4-GettyImages-587846816-380x247.jpg 380w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-AUGUST9-DAY4-GettyImages-587846816-760x494.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-AUGUST9-DAY4-GettyImages-587846816.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-42780" class="wp-caption-text">August 2016: Madison Kocian, Gabrielle Douglas, Simone Biles, Alexandra Raisman and Lauren Hernandez of the United States wait for the final result during the artistic gymnastics women’s team final on day four of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Rio Olympic Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo credit: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure> <p><strong>You’ve had to recover from some major setbacks yourself.  You had a particularly difficult time at a competition in 2013, didn’t you?</strong></p> </body></html> </div>     <div class="achiever__video-block"> <figure class="achiever__interview-video"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/N-siRMHoNqk?feature=oembed&hd=1&modestbranding=1&rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Biles-Simone-2017-MasterEdit.00_45_23_23.Still009-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Biles-Simone-2017-MasterEdit.00_45_23_23.Still009-760x428.jpg"></div> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> </div> <figcaption class="achiever__interview-video-terms"> <span>Keys to success —</span> <a class="comma-item" href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/keys-to-success/perseverance/">Perseverance</a> </figcaption> </figure>  <div class="achiever__interview-video__copy"> <p>It was at a Classics, and I was kind of all over the place, falling on bars, and then I fell on the floor, got pulled from vault. And then one of those years, I also didn’t make National Team. So that was a huge letdown for myself. But then I remember, I was, like, bawling that night, and then my parents tried to talk to me, and it, like, wasn’t working. And I was like — it was just really hard. And then my brother called me. He’s like, “You know what? There’s always next year. Don’t give up.” Because I think in that moment, and that time, I didn’t really want to go on with it because I had failed. At least I thought I had at that young of an age.</p> </div> </div>      <div class="achiever__interview-copy"> <p><strong>You introduced a whole new move in gymnastic competition. How did that come about?</strong></p> <p>If you watch any of my floor routines, it’s usually my second skill. It’s called the Biles. You guys won’t clearly understand this because it’s gymnastics terms. But what I’ll go on to do, I’ll do a double layout — which is I’ll do two flips with a straight body — and at the very end of it I do a half turn. So if you watch my floor routine, that’s the second skill that I do.</p> </div>     <div class="achiever__video-block"> <figure class="achiever__interview-video"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/u8FCzE8nKII?feature=oembed&hd=1&modestbranding=1&rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Biles-Simone-2017-MasterEdit.00_12_10_10.Still006-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Biles-Simone-2017-MasterEdit.00_12_10_10.Still006-760x428.jpg"></div> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> </div> </figure>  <div class="achiever__interview-video__copy"> <p>Simone Biles: We made it up out of almost an injury. I partially tore my calf muscle one time, attempting an extra half twist in my skill list, and then my coach was like, “Well, maybe if you do a half twist, nobody’s ever done that before, and it will take the stress off that landing of your calf muscle. So let’s just play around in the gym with this.” And he’s like, “And nobody’s ever done it.” So then we started playing around with that, and then there’s a whole process to doing the skill, and all of that, and getting it named after you. You have to be the first — or even if two people try it, then they kind of base it off of who did it better — who has the higher score, and all of that, because that’s happened before if you’re both at the same world championships doing the same skill. So there’s a lot made up about it, but mine was kind of like from an injury standpoint and taking the pressure off of it.</p> </div> </div>      <div class="achiever__interview-copy"> <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"> <html><body data-rsssl="1"><figure id="attachment_42786" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-42786" style="width: 2280px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="wp-image-42786 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210im_/https://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-LondonSummit_0617-BILES-PARENTS-Reception-before-banquet-of-the-golden-plate.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-42786 size-full lazyload" alt="" width="2280" height="1520" data-sizes="(max-width: 2280px) 100vw, 2280px" data-srcset="/web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-LondonSummit_0617-BILES-PARENTS-Reception-before-banquet-of-the-golden-plate.jpg 2280w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-LondonSummit_0617-BILES-PARENTS-Reception-before-banquet-of-the-golden-plate-380x253.jpg 380w, /web/20200917235210im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-LondonSummit_0617-BILES-PARENTS-Reception-before-banquet-of-the-golden-plate-760x507.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210/https://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-LondonSummit_0617-BILES-PARENTS-Reception-before-banquet-of-the-golden-plate.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-42786" class="wp-caption-text">October 18, 2017: Simone Biles with her parents, Nellie and Ronald Biles, at a reception before the International Achievement Summit’s Banquet of the Golden Plate gala ceremonies held at Claridge’s Hotel in Mayfair, London.</figcaption></figure> <p><strong>What was it like, after all these years of preparation, actually being at the Olympics? Can you remember it clearly or is it all a blur?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: I feel like, leading up to the Olympics, whenever we got in the Village and we got all settled, all the practices, they kind of go as a blur. And then you’re there at podium training, and then at qualifications and all that, and it’s like a blur.  But all-around finals and team finals, I remember exactly, and it’s just like, even afterward, standing up on that podium hearing it, it just replays in your head and you don’t even know what to think. It doesn’t feel real.</p> <p><strong>You are so dominant in your sport now, that the other girls are essentially competing for second place.  Does that affect your relationship with the other gymnasts?</strong></p> </body></html> </div>     <div class="achiever__video-block"> <figure class="achiever__interview-video"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/mIsFB9wMyJc?feature=oembed&hd=1&modestbranding=1&rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Simone-Biles-5.00_18_37_07.Still002-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Simone-Biles-5.00_18_37_07.Still002-760x428.jpg"></div> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> </div> <figcaption class="achiever__interview-video-terms"> <span>Keys to success —</span> <a class="comma-item" href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/keys-to-success/integrity/">Integrity</a> </figcaption> </figure>  <div class="achiever__interview-video__copy"> <p>Simone Biles: I feel like none of us are competitive towards each other because we realize we’re stronger as a team, rather than individually. So it’s kind of hard to compete against everybody else. And I think we all get that, when we’re on the floor, we’re competing against ourselves, because that’s the healthiest competition. Yes, we’re all good friends. So we all understand, and we’re rooting for each other as well as yourself. So we all understand, because it’s a hard sport, and it’s dangerous, so we want the best for each other. As we do, we hope we go out and we do what we are trained to do.</p> </div> </div>      <div class="achiever__interview-copy"> <p><strong>You’ve been taking a year off since the 2016 Olympics before you start training again for 2020. How did it feel being out of your normal routine?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: It feels kind of crazy how fast a year went by because the year of the Olympics — it even goes by — but then afterward you kind of feel like you’re doing everything at once, and then you look back and you’re like, “It’s been a year? Did I enjoy my time off?” Which I did. I enjoyed it so much. It just went by faster than you think, because you think, “A year? Oh, that’s a long time!” It went by so fast. But I’m excited to get back into training and get back into the working mode, just because I’ve been doing so many things that are different and out of my comfort zone, that you sometimes are ready to get back into it.</p> <p><strong>What will a typical day be like for you when you go back into training for the next three years?</strong></p> </div>     <div class="achiever__video-block"> <figure class="achiever__interview-video"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/X2MCF4-X3Dg?feature=oembed&hd=1&modestbranding=1&rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Biles-Simone-2017-MasterEdit.00_20_44_07.Still012-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Biles-Simone-2017-MasterEdit.00_20_44_07.Still012-760x428.jpg"></div> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> </div> <figcaption class="achiever__interview-video-terms"> <span>Keys to success —</span> <a class="comma-item" href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/keys-to-success/preparation/">Preparation</a> </figcaption> </figure>  <div class="achiever__interview-video__copy"> <p>Simone Biles: It usually consists of two training sessions, usually both three or four hours. So depending — I don’t know what it’s going to be like in the beginning — just because I’ve never taken a break in my life off gymnastics, and I’ve taken a year, so I’m pretty sure I’ll start out with one session a day, maybe two. We don’t know yet. But usually, it would consist of getting up at eight, being at the gym at nine, and then I would go nine to twelve, have a three-hour break, and I would usually do school or do therapy, and then go back to the gym from either three to six or three to seven. And then go home, eat, bedtime and then repeat.</p> </div> </div>      <div class="achiever__interview-copy"> <p><strong>What core value do you think accounts for your success at this early age? Is it fearlessness?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: I feel like it would either have to be that or confidence…</p> </div>     <div class="achiever__video-block"> <figure class="achiever__interview-video"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200917235210if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/0gWEf6EL9ZM?feature=oembed&hd=1&modestbranding=1&rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Biles-Simone-2017-MasterEdit.00_11_44_06.Still004-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Biles-Simone-2017-MasterEdit.00_11_44_06.Still004-760x428.jpg"></div> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> </div> <figcaption class="achiever__interview-video-terms"> <span>Keys to success —</span> <a class="comma-item" href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/keys-to-success/courage/">Courage</a> </figcaption> </figure>  <div class="achiever__interview-video__copy"> <p>Everyone around you can tell you, “Oh, you can do this,” but then whenever you really start to believe in yourself, that’s when it comes to life. But you also have to be a little bit fearless, because at a very young age I chose what I wanted to do. And not knowing the outcome, thankfully it happened the way I wanted it to, but some people aren’t as fortunate or an injury stops them or whatever it is. So it’s kind of like, you have to be fearless of knowing not what the future is or what it holds for you.</p> </div> </div>     <aside class="collapse" id="full-interview">    <div class="achiever__interview-copy"> <p><strong>You’re only 20 years old but you’ve already come a long way in life. There’s quite a distance from your current achievements to your start in life.</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: I’m an Olympic gold medalist. I’ve won four individual gold medals and a bronze medal. So I have five total, combining a total of nineteen world and Olympic medals. I’ve been holding a couple of records now. At the age of five, starting in my childhood, I was adopted by my grandparents, who are now my parents. I was in foster care from three to five years old, in and out of it. So I’ve had a couple of struggles then.</p> <p><strong>Your grandparents adopted you and became your parents. How old were you when that happened?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: The first time, I was three years old, and then we went to live with them, and then we went back to foster care. And then at five years old, that’s when the official adoption and everything went through, and then I went to live with them in Texas.</p> <p><strong>Do you remember the time before that?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: I mean I remember a little bit being in foster care. Not anything that traumatized me, because we were very lucky and thankful for our situation that we had, even though we were in foster care. We had a very nice and loving foster family and we got to stay in one place, really. So we were very blessed.</p> <p><strong>When you were first taken to the gym at age six, just watching and imitating the older girls, there were people who saw something special in you.</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: Yeah. They saw it. I was six. I was all over the place. That I know.</p> <p><strong>What do you mean? What were you like at six?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: I thought I was a normal six-year-old. But everyone just saw the strength, and they saw the muscle, and they saw the definition on my body, and that’s what intrigued them.</p> <p><strong>Were you already into tumbling and being active?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: I was active around the house and on the playground, but nothing too serious, where my parents were like, “Let’s enroll her in a gym.” They just thought I was like every other child, flipping on the bed, flipping on the couch, doing all that stuff. Just a very brave child.</p> <p><strong>You’re quite public that when you were a kid you were diagnosed with ADHD. Has that also been an asset to you as a gymnast?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: I think so, energy-wise, just because it’s a way to kill my energy, and I’ve learned to focus in a little bit more on what I’m doing. So it’s helped. It’s also helped me speak out to kids on it, that it’s not something you should be afraid of telling people or think you’re different.</p> <p><strong>How do you think about it — as a disability or just as a sort of different way of being in the world?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: I feel like, if anyone has asthma, they don’t think of it too much as a disability. It’s just something you were born with and that you have to accept. You don’t think of yourself as an outcast because there are other kids and teens and adults struggling with the same thing. And if they can do it, you see that you can do it as well.</p> <p><strong>Does it give you an edge?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: If you feed into anything that makes you energized — if you’re an athlete, and whatever fuels you, to bring you more energy, then that’s what you used, and other people just already have it, I feel like.</p> <p><strong>So do you already have it?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: I guess a little bit. But then there are downfalls because I don’t have the focus that they have, so I could see that as a downfall, which I don’t. I just have to focus a little bit more.</p> <p><strong>What are the tools that you use to focus?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: I started taking medicine. I was diagnosed at a very young age. Went to the doctor, they prescribed me something. So I tried doing that and now that’s what I do to make it easier to focus.</p> <p><strong>Are there other things? All athletes have to find techniques to help focus them. So what else helps you when you’re going from your bubbly “having fun” self to having to kill it on the floor?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: I feel like I just know when I need to kill it. I’ve been trained, and we’re very disciplined as athletes at the high level that we do it. There are a lot of risks we take. So I just kind of know that I have an off switch and when to hit it and when to turn it back on.</p> <p><strong>Who are the people in your life who’ve inspired you to push along the way?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: I feel like in my immediate circle it’s definitely friends, family, coaches, doctors —anyone, really, who has belief in you, and that you can turn to and talk to. At the end of the day, they’ll always be on your side and willing to help in any way possible. And then, like, <em>outside</em> outside? I was homeschooled; I don’t have a lot of friends. You don’t know a lot of people, but then it would be other family members that are always checking up on you.</p> <p><strong>How about sports heroes or other heroes of yours?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: I feel like other sports athletes really inspire me —Alex Morgan, Serena Williams — just because they’re so dominant in their sport. Even watching track and field as well. They’re so dominant that you want to become them one day or hope to be a role model for kids like they are.</p> <p><strong>Have you had a chance to meet those heroes?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: I’ve gotten a chance to meet both of them. And it was pretty exciting. Alex Morgan and Serena Williams, yes.</p> <p><strong>What kind of conversations do you have with them? You’ve met Nadia Comaneci, right?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: Yes. Usually, it’s about gymnastics or they wish you luck on future success and then they congratulate you. It’s usually not too much because it’s just in and out. Everyone’s so busy and everyone has their own lives and you’re all just going all over the place.</p> <p><strong>You’ve been training as a gymnast continuously from age six to nineteen. What’s it like to be taking this year off? What things are you getting to do for a change?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: Most of the time in gymnastics, if you ask, “Can I go do this or do that?” obviously the answer is already “no” because the fear of you getting hurt. So I feel like “the year of yeses” is kind of weird, because you’re like, “I can do that? Nobody’s worried about me getting hurt?” So I’ve gotten to go on family vacations, which I couldn’t do a lot of leading up to the Olympics and those last couple of years. And I got to go indoor skydiving, and I did a lot of speaking engagements. And even when you’re younger, like, “Oh, I want to be on TV; I want to be in commercials,” and now I do all that stuff. So you kind of get to taste a little bit of everything, and now you’re just ready to go back into your shell.</p> <p><strong>You’ve always kept track of your goals. With this incredible run of gold medals behind you, what did you put in your short- and long-term goals for your year off?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: It was just to live life and to have fun with whatever opportunities arose, rather than set down things because I knew that at the end of the year I wanted to start training again. So I guess that could have been the biggest goal on the paper, but I didn’t write anything down because I’ve been doing it for so long and usually they were about gymnastics. And since I wasn’t doing gymnastics, I just wanted to have fun.</p> <p><strong>You knew from the time you were tiny that gymnastics was your love and your passion. Have you thought what comes after gymnastics? What are your other loves in the world?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: I kind of tried to do that during the year off. But then you try not to think, “What comes after gymnastics?” because I know ahead of time I’m going to be joining again for three years. So you can’t think too far, and you have to kind of live in the moment. I feel like maybe if this interview was after a second Olympics, I could tell you. Right now, since it’s going back into the grind and going back into gymnastics, you don’t really know yet, because the opportunities will hopefully be endless. And the deciding factors? We’ll see.</p> <p><strong>Your book is called </strong><em><strong>Courage to Soar</strong></em><strong>, and the subtitle is <em>A Life In Balance</em>. What does that mean, the “life in balance” part? What is a life in balance for you?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: It’s keeping everything on the table, and me still living my life. It’s very balanced and it’s very organized, because my body can do a lot of crazy things, and it’s kind of like sporadic, but it’s very controlled as well. So whenever I go to the gym, I do what I have to do, and then whenever I’m at home, I try to be as normal a kid as possible. I think that’s where the balance comes in.</p> <p><strong>You’re training with a new coach now for the first time. What’s that like? Now that you’re a young adult, you’ll be forging that relationship in a different way than you did as a child.</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: With my new coach that I have, I’ve worked alongside him, because his athlete was also on the 2016 team and we’ve been training for four or five years together. So he was always at the camps I went to every single month. So it’s not like he’s a stranger to me. I know him.</p> <p><strong>How will it be different? What will be different this time, do you think?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: I feel like there will be differences; I just don’t know what they’ll be yet. I think it’s just different from having a coach your whole entire life and then switching because I think the relationship is different. Because it’s not like they’ve grown up with you. Now I’m an adult so it will be different. But I can’t tell you exactly what that is because I haven’t worked with him yet.</p> <p><strong>Is your body in a different place as an adult? Usually, Olympic gymnasts have sort of peaked at your age — because they’re competing at 16 years old, their body changes, and that makes it hard to keep competing.</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: I feel like since I already went through that whole entire process at 16 years old — whenever my body was changing and all of that stuff happened — I wasn’t peaking yet, and then after all that happened, then I peaked and I feel like, in this day in our sport, we’re realizing that we’ve been peaking at an older age, so it’s been working.</p> <p><strong>About a decade ago, the International Gymnastics Federation threw out the old ten-point system. They saw that it was holding back the sport, in that it didn’t really pay to be more daring. And there was a lot of hubbub about it at the time. But you’ve personally proved the benefit of getting rid of the ten-point system. Can you talk about that, about how gymnastics has changed and how being free of the ten-point system has changed what you do?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: I wasn’t even born when the ten-point system was happening, so I can’t say too much about it. I was born in 1997 and I think they changed it a little bit after. So I wasn’t even a gymnast yet. So all I grew up with was not the ten-point system. But they kind of included it still in. We can get a ten on execution, which has not ever happened yet. But you have the option, at least for a 10.0 in execution, but otherwise, I feel like they felt that you could further yourself more as a gymnast in your capabilities. And you could choose your own start values, in that you could put your own flair and your own personality into your gymnastics, rather than just setting it as a ten and you can’t really do too much more to go over a ten.</p> <p>So, say my sister was doing gymnastics and she can’t do the same skills I can do on whatever event that is. Maybe on bars she can have a higher start value because she can do more on bars. And say I’m like, not good at bars; I do what I’m capable of and then I see my start value. Say it’s a 15; say she starts out a 16. Then there are those differences, and then on vaults, say if I’m better than her, I can start at a higher start value. So you really do gymnastics to your own capability rather than everybody doing it to the same level and getting scored the same. So that’s when you can push your body and your mind and the limits.</p> <p><strong>You’ve said you were a very brave child. Would you say that’s one of your defining characteristics, bravery or fearlessness?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: I think so because to do this sport, it does come with fear, but then you also have to be fearless. You have to be brave and trust in yourself. So I think once you start to trust in yourself you become stronger as an athlete.</p> <p><strong>What are you afraid of? Everyone has fears.</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: I’m afraid of letting people down, failure, being injured, or having an injury so bad and the doctor telling me I won’t continue with my sport. But I think that’s true of every athlete if you ask them.</p> <p><strong>How do you carry both of those inside of you — the fearlessness you need to do it and the fear that’s very real?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: You don’t think of the fear because if you think of the fear you start changing things and that’s when you can get injured, or all those things that you don’t want to happen that you’re thinking of could happen.</p> <p><strong>You hit a rough patch when you went from being a junior athlete to a senior athlete. There was one point when you didn’t make the national team. When was that?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: I was a junior when I didn’t make team. I made team when I was a senior. Or I made team when I was a junior, but then by the time it came out, around the competitive season, I had moved up to a senior and that’s when I started competing.</p> <p><strong>Is that when that rocky period happened?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: No, it happened when I was a junior.</p> <p><strong>After that, you won spectacularly and you’ve basically won every competition since then.</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: Yes. While I was doing well before I met with a sports psychologist, then I kind of fell apart, and that’s when we were introduced to him.</p> <p><strong>Obviously what happens between you and a psychologist is private, but is there some part of that process you can talk about? </strong></p> <p><strong>You went from being a great athlete who had her great days and her off days to being one who’s completely unbeatable. What clicked?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: I think that part is very private and it’s something that I don’t really share too much. But I also think it was just that going to him, and then the main question he asked was, “You’re usually having fun when you compete, right? Were you having fun that day?” And I was like, “No, I was too focused on what everybody else was thinking and saying and I wanted to please everyone.” He’s like, “Did you do that before?” And I said, “No”. He said, “Then why did you do that then?” I think that’s kind of what clicked. Then I realized what I do for myself is I have fun. I go out there and I don’t let anybody else change how I do things. I think that’s what really clicked.</p> <p><strong>Were you prepared to have your personal life subjected to the kind of scrutiny that star athletes and people in the public eye receive?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: I feel like, going into the Olympic games, you only have one goal in mind, and you’re not really tied into the media or what they’re doing because you’re so focused on yourself. I feel like, if you’re at the Olympic Games focusing on what the media’s going to say about you, you’re not really doing your job, or you’re probably not as stressed as you should be. So we go in knowing that we have one goal in mind and then we’re kind of set on that. So we’re not even focused on social media or what’s happening, or you don’t even see it because you’re not on it and you’re not really watching TV or all of that.</p> <p><strong>You and Katie Ledecky, the super swimmer, were chosen as sponsors of a Navy aircraft carrier. Can you tell us what that means?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: We saw the first cut of steel; we got to put our names in it that will go in some place in the ship. But it’s, basically, you have this aircraft carrier. You get to do the christening of the ship, so we’ll break the bottle. Not very soon — it’s in a couple of years. We still have awhile.</p> <p><strong>How did it feel, representing the United States at the Olympics?</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: I think, going to the Olympics, it brings a whole other level of patriotism. So I think we have a lot of pride in representing our country. And even the soldiers that go out and represent everyone call us their heroes and all of that, but I think they’re the real heroes. So I think we have a different kind of respect when we go and compete for our country, just because we’re selected from a wide variety of a group of athletes, and then they narrow it down. So I was one of five that were selected on the team out of hundreds and hundreds of gymnasts in the United States.</p> <p><strong>Simone, thank you so very much for joining us.</strong></p> <p>Simone Biles: Thank you.</p> </div>  </aside>  <div class="read-more__toggle collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#full-interview"><a href="#" class="sans-4 btn">Read full interview</a></div> </article> </section> </div> <div class="tab-pane" id="gallery" role="tabpanel"> <section class="isotope-wrapper">  <header class="toolbar toolbar--gallery bg-white clearfix"> <div class="col-md-6"> <div class="serif-4">Simone Biles Gallery</div> </div> <div class="col-md-6 text-md-right isotope-toolbar"> <ul class="list-unstyled list-inline m-b-0 text-brand-primary sans-4"> <li class="list-inline-item" data-filter=".photo"><i class="icon-icon_camera"></i>18 photos</li> </ul> </div> </header> <div class="isotope-gallery isotope-box single-achiever__gallery clearfix"> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.4990138067061" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/WP-2-13-ANTWERP-GettyImages-183441234.jpg" data-image-caption="October 6, 2013: Sixteen-year-old Simone Biles of Team USA after winning the gold medal in the floor exercise final of the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships held at the Antwerp Sports Palace in Antwerpen, Belgium. Biles beat a field of Olympians to win the world all-around title in her first major international meet. (Dean Mouhtaropoulos)" data-image-copyright="WP-2-13-ANTWERP-GettyImages-183441234" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/WP-2-13-ANTWERP-GettyImages-183441234-253x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2018/02/WP-2-13-ANTWERP-GettyImages-183441234-507x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.75" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-simone-biles-sister-adria.jpg" data-image-caption="2002: Simone Biles at age six with younger sister, Adria." data-image-copyright="wp-simone-biles-sister-adria" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-simone-biles-sister-adria-380x285.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-simone-biles-sister-adria-760x570.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.4990138067061" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2013-GettyImages-183115694.jpg" data-image-caption="October 4, 2013: Simone Biles of USA competes in the floor exercise during the women's all-around final on day five of the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships Belgium at Antwerp Sports Palace in Antwerpen, Belgium." data-image-copyright="wp-2013-GettyImages-183115694" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2013-GettyImages-183115694-253x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2013-GettyImages-183115694-507x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.66710526315789" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-LondonSummit_0617-BILES-PARENTS-Reception-before-banquet-of-the-golden-plate.jpg" data-image-caption="October 2017: Simone Biles with her parents, Nellie and Ronald Biles, at a reception before the International Achievement Summit’s Banquet of the Golden Plate ceremonies held at Claridge’s Hotel in Mayfair, London. (© Academy of Achievement)" data-image-copyright="wp-LondonSummit_0617-BILES-PARENTS-Reception before banquet of the golden plate" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-LondonSummit_0617-BILES-PARENTS-Reception-before-banquet-of-the-golden-plate-380x253.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-LondonSummit_0617-BILES-PARENTS-Reception-before-banquet-of-the-golden-plate-760x507.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.4990138067061" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-Book-Courage-to-Soar.jpg" data-image-caption="November 2016: <i>Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance</i> by Simone Biles. In her own words, Simone Biles takes you through the events, challenges, and trials that carried her from an early childhood in foster care to a coveted spot on the 2016 Olympic team." data-image-copyright="wp-Book-Courage-to-Soar" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-Book-Courage-to-Soar-253x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-Book-Courage-to-Soar-507x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.66710526315789" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2017-JULY-ESPY-GettyImages-813582164-1.jpg" data-image-caption="July 2017: Biles accepts the award for Best Female Athlete during the 25th annual ESPY Awards in Los Angeles." data-image-copyright="ABC's Coverage of The 2017 ESPY Awards" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2017-JULY-ESPY-GettyImages-813582164-1-380x253.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2017-JULY-ESPY-GettyImages-813582164-1-760x507.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.66710526315789" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-FLAG-GettyImages-593256072.jpg" data-image-caption="August 21, 2016: Simone Biles holds the American flag during the closing ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Maracanã stadium. “It’s an incredible honor to be selected as the flag-bearer by my Team USA teammates,” Biles said in a statement. “This experience has been the dream of a lifetime for me and my team and I consider it a privilege to represent my country, the United States Olympic Committee and USA Gymnastics by carrying our flag. I also wish to thank the city of Rio de Janeiro, and the entire country of Brazil, for hosting an incredible Games.”" data-image-copyright="OLY-2016-RIO-CLOSING" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-FLAG-GettyImages-593256072-380x253.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-FLAG-GettyImages-593256072-760x507.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.8" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/wp-LondonSummit_0663.jpg" data-image-caption="2017: Awards Council member Lukasz Gottwald (Dr. Luke) presents the American Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award during the 52nd annual International Achievement Summit in London. (© Academy of Achievement)" data-image-copyright="wp-LondonSummit_0663" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/wp-LondonSummit_0663-380x304.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2017/11/wp-LondonSummit_0663-760x608.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-DAY6-RIO-GettyImages-639363098.jpg" data-image-caption="August 11, 2016: Simone Biles in action on her uneven bars routine during her gold medal performance in the artistic gymnastics women’s individual all-around final at the Rio Olympic Arena, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Getty)" data-image-copyright="wp-2016-DAY6-RIO-GettyImages-639363098" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-DAY6-RIO-GettyImages-639363098-380x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-DAY6-RIO-GettyImages-639363098-760x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.4990138067061" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-AUGUST14-PODIUM-GOLDMEDAL-GettyImages-589497292.jpg" data-image-caption="August 14, 2016: Simon Biles atop the podium — with Russia’s Maria Paseka and Switzerland’s Giulia Steingruber — as the national anthem for the United States plays, after the women’s vault event final of the artistic gymnastics at the Olympic Arena during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (© BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images)" data-image-copyright="wp-2016-AUGUST14-PODIUM-GOLDMEDAL-GettyImages-589497292" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-AUGUST14-PODIUM-GOLDMEDAL-GettyImages-589497292-253x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-AUGUST14-PODIUM-GOLDMEDAL-GettyImages-589497292-507x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.501976284585" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2015-GettyImages-498177756.jpg" data-image-caption="November 20, 2015: Gymnast Simone Biles poses for a portrait at the USOC Rio Olympics Shoot at Quixote Studios in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)" data-image-copyright="USOC Portraits for Rio2016" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2015-GettyImages-498177756-253x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2015-GettyImages-498177756-506x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.65" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-AUGUST9-DAY4-GettyImages-587846816.jpg" data-image-caption="August 2016: Madison Kocian, Gabrielle Douglas, Simone Biles, Alexandra Raisman and Lauren Hernandez of the United States wait for the final result during the artistic gymnastics women’s team final on day four of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Rio Olympic Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo credit: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)" data-image-copyright="631390975KT00381_Gymnastics" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-AUGUST9-DAY4-GettyImages-587846816-380x247.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-AUGUST9-DAY4-GettyImages-587846816-760x494.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.25" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/wp-LondonSummit_0278.jpg" data-image-caption="2017 Academy honoree Simone Biles addresses delegates and members at a symposium session during the American Academy of Achievement’s 52nd annual International Achievement Summit in Mayfair, London. (© Academy of Achievement)" data-image-copyright="wp--LondonSummit_0278" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/wp-LondonSummit_0278-304x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2017/11/wp-LondonSummit_0278-608x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.69868421052632" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-AUGUST9-DAY-4-GettyImages-587771298.jpg" data-image-caption="August 9, 2016: Gold medalists Simone Biles, Gabrielle Douglas, Lauren Hernandez, Madison Kocian and Alexandra Raisman of the United States celebrate on the podium at the medal ceremony for the Artistic Gymnastics Women’s Team on day four of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Rio Olympic Arena, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo: Getty Images)" data-image-copyright="631390975KT00323_Gymnastics" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-AUGUST9-DAY-4-GettyImages-587771298-380x265.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2016-AUGUST9-DAY-4-GettyImages-587771298-760x531.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.66842105263158" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2015-GettyImages-494523760.jpg" data-image-caption="October 27, 2015: Gabrielle Douglas, Simone Biles, Margaret Nichols, Alexandra Raisman and Madison Kocian during day five of the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships at The SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland. In team finals, Biles helped the United States win the women’s team all-around title for the third straight time, and she became the first woman to win three consecutive all-around titles in World Gymnastics Championships history." data-image-copyright="wp-2015-GettyImages-494523760" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2015-GettyImages-494523760-380x254.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2015-GettyImages-494523760-760x508.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.66710526315789" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/wp-LondonSummit_0282.jpg" data-image-caption="Simone Biles, 2017 honoree and first U.S. gymnast to win four Olympic gold medals, addresses Summit delegates. (© Academy of Achievement)" data-image-copyright="wp-LondonSummit_0282" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/wp-LondonSummit_0282-380x253.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2017/11/wp-LondonSummit_0282-760x507.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.68947368421053" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2014-GettyImages-457103038.jpg" data-image-caption="October 12, 2014: Seventeen-year-old Simone Biles performs during the women’s floor exercise final at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships held in Nanning, China at the Guangxi Gymnasium. Biles would take home four World Championship gold medals, locking down the team championship, the individual all-around title, and the beam and floor exercise apparatus finals. She would take a silver medal on vault. (KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images)" data-image-copyright="wp-2014-GettyImages-457103038" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2014-GettyImages-457103038-380x262.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2014-GettyImages-457103038-760x524.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.4990138067061" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2018-GettyImages-1056411612.jpg" data-image-caption="November 2, 2018: 21-year-old Simone Biles celebrates her gold medal in the Vault exercise during day nine of the 2018 FIG Artistic Gymnastics Championships at Aspire Dome in Doha, Qatar. Biles capped a remarkable 2018 world gymnastics championships by claiming gold on floor exercise and bronze on balance beam during the event finals, giving her six medals for the meet and 20 overall in the world championships. (Photo: Francois Nel/Getty Images)" data-image-copyright="2018 FIG Artistic Gymnastics Championships - Day Nine" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2018-GettyImages-1056411612-253x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2018/02/wp-2018-GettyImages-1056411612-507x760.jpg"></div>  </figure>    </div> </section> </div> </div> <div class="container"> <footer class="editorial-article__footer col-md-8 col-md-offset-4"> <div class="editorial-article__next-link sans-3"> <a href="#"><strong>What's next:</strong> <span class="editorial-article__next-link-title">profile</span></a> </div> <ul class="social list-unstyled list-inline ssk-group m-b-0"> <li class="list-inline-item"><a href="" class="ssk ssk-facebook" data-gtm-category="social" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Shared Achiever on Facebook"><i class="icon-icon_facebook-circle"></i></a></li> <li class="list-inline-item"><a href="" class="ssk ssk-twitter" data-gtm-category="social" 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</div> </div> <div class="text-white achiever-block__text--bottom"> <div class="achiever-block__year sans-4">Inducted in <span class="year-inducted">2000</span></div> </div> </figcaption> </figure> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="centered-blocks"> <div class="isotope-achiever sports athletic shy-introverted " data-year-inducted="1996" data-achiever-name="Hamill"> <div class="achiever-block view-grid"> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/dorothy-hamill/"> <figure class="ratio-container ratio-container--square bg-black"> <div class="lazyload box achiever-block__image" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/hamill-007a-190x190.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/09/hamill-007a-380x380.jpg"></div> <div class="achiever-block__overlay"></div> <figcaption class="text-xs-center achiever-block__text"> <div class="display--table"> <div class="display--table-cell"> <div class="achiever-block__text--center"> <div class="achiever-block__name text-brand-primary">Dorothy Hamill</div> <div class="achiever-block__known-as text-white sans-6">U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame</div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="text-white achiever-block__text--bottom"> <div class="achiever-block__year sans-4">Inducted in <span class="year-inducted">1996</span></div> </div> </figcaption> </figure> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="centered-blocks"> <div class="isotope-achiever the-arts illness-or-disability athletic shy-introverted be-a-performer teach-others " data-year-inducted="1987" data-achiever-name="Farrell"> <div class="achiever-block view-grid"> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/suzanne-farrell/"> <figure class="ratio-container ratio-container--square bg-black"> <div class="lazyload box achiever-block__image" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/farrell-001a-190x190.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/11/farrell-001a-380x380.jpg"></div> <div class="achiever-block__overlay"></div> <figcaption class="text-xs-center achiever-block__text"> <div class="display--table"> <div class="display--table-cell"> <div class="achiever-block__text--center"> <div class="achiever-block__name text-brand-primary">Suzanne Farrell</div> <div class="achiever-block__known-as text-white sans-6">Ballerina Extraordinaire</div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="text-white achiever-block__text--bottom"> <div class="achiever-block__year sans-4">Inducted in <span class="year-inducted">1987</span></div> </div> </figcaption> </figure> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="centered-blocks"> <div class="isotope-achiever the-arts the-arts ambitious athletic be-a-performer build-or-create-things teach-others " data-year-inducted="1993" data-achiever-name="Tharp"> <div class="achiever-block view-grid"> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/twyla-tharp/"> <figure class="ratio-container ratio-container--square bg-black"> <div class="lazyload box achiever-block__image" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/tharp-013a-190x190.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/03/tharp-013a-380x380.jpg"></div> <div class="achiever-block__overlay"></div> <figcaption class="text-xs-center achiever-block__text"> <div class="display--table"> <div class="display--table-cell"> <div class="achiever-block__text--center"> <div class="achiever-block__name text-brand-primary">Twyla Tharp</div> <div class="achiever-block__known-as text-white sans-6">Dancer and Choreographer</div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="text-white achiever-block__text--bottom"> <div class="achiever-block__year sans-4">Inducted in <span class="year-inducted">1993</span></div> </div> </figcaption> </figure> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="centered-blocks"> <div class="isotope-achiever business the-arts poverty small-town-rural-upbringing ambitious extroverted be-a-performer make-films help-mankind " data-year-inducted="1989" data-achiever-name="Winfrey"> <div class="achiever-block view-grid"> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/oprah-winfrey/"> <figure class="ratio-container ratio-container--square bg-black"> <div class="lazyload box achiever-block__image" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/winfrey_760_ac-190x190.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/04/winfrey_760_ac-380x380.jpg"></div> <div class="achiever-block__overlay"></div> <figcaption class="text-xs-center achiever-block__text"> <div class="display--table"> <div class="display--table-cell"> <div class="achiever-block__text--center"> <div class="achiever-block__name text-brand-primary">Oprah Winfrey</div> <div class="achiever-block__known-as text-white sans-6">Media Entrepreneur</div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="text-white achiever-block__text--bottom"> <div class="achiever-block__year sans-4">Inducted in <span class="year-inducted">1989</span></div> </div> </figcaption> </figure> 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Doudna, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/rita-dove/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Rita Dove</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/sylvia-earle/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sylvia Earle, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/elbaradei/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Mohamed ElBaradei</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/gertrude-elion/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Gertrude B. Elion, M.Sc.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/larry-j-ellison/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Larry J. Ellison</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/nora-ephron/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Nora Ephron</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/julius-erving/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Julius Erving</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/tony-fadell/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Tony Fadell</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/paul-farmer/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Paul Farmer, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/suzanne-farrell/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Suzanne Farrell</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/anthony-s-fauci-m-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Anthony S. Fauci, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/sally-field/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sally Field</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/lord-norman-foster/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lord Norman Foster</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/aretha-franklin/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Aretha Franklin</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/milton-friedman-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Milton Friedman, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/carlos-fuentes/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Carlos Fuentes</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/athol-fugard/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Athol Fugard</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/peter-gabriel/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Peter Gabriel</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/ernest-j-gaines/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ernest J. Gaines</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/william-h-gates-iii/"><span class="achiever-list-name">William H. Gates III</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/leymah-gbowee/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Leymah Gbowee</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/frank-gehry/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Frank O. Gehry</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/murray-gell-mann-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Murray Gell-Mann, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/carlos-ghosn/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Carlos Ghosn</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/vince-gill/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Vince Gill</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/ruth-bader-ginsburg/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ruth Bader Ginsburg</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/louise-gluck/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Louise Glück</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/whoopi-goldberg/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Whoopi Goldberg</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/jane-goodall/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Dame Jane Goodall</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/doris-kearns-goodwin/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Doris Kearns Goodwin, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/mikhail-s-gorbachev/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Mikhail S. Gorbachev</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/nadine-gordimer/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Nadine Gordimer</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/stephen-jay-gould/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Stephen Jay Gould, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/carol-greider-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Carol W. Greider, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/john-grisham/"><span class="achiever-list-name">John Grisham</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/sir-john-gurdon/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sir John Gurdon</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/dorothy-hamill/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Dorothy Hamill</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/demis-hassabis-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Demis Hassabis, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/lauryn-hill/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lauryn Hill</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/sir-edmund-hillary/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sir Edmund Hillary</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/reid-hoffman/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Reid Hoffman</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/khaled-hosseini/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Khaled Hosseini, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/ron-howard/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ron Howard</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/john-hume/"><span class="achiever-list-name">John Hume</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/louis-ignarro-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Louis Ignarro, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/daniel-inouye/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Daniel K. Inouye</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/jeremy-irons/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Jeremy Irons</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/john-irving/"><span class="achiever-list-name">John Irving</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/kazuo-ishiguro/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sir Kazuo Ishiguro</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/sir-peter-jackson/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sir Peter Jackson</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/donald-c-johanson/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Donald C. Johanson, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/frank-m-johnson/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Frank M. Johnson, Jr.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/philip-johnson/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Philip C. Johnson</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/chuck-jones/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Chuck Jones</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/james-earl-jones/"><span class="achiever-list-name">James Earl Jones</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/quincy-jones/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Quincy Jones</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/beverly-joubert/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Beverly Joubert</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/dereck-joubert/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Dereck Joubert</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/paul-kagame/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Paul Kagame</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/thomas-keller-2/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Thomas Keller</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/anthony-m-kennedy/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Anthony M. Kennedy</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/carole-king/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Carole King</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/b-b-king/"><span class="achiever-list-name">B.B. King</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/coretta-scott-king/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Coretta Scott King</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/henry-kissinger-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Henry A. Kissinger, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/willem-j-kolff/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Willem J. Kolff, M.D., Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/wendy-kopp/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Wendy Kopp</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/henry-r-kravis/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Henry R. Kravis</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/nicholas-d-kristof/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Nicholas D. Kristof</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/mike-krzyzewski/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Mike Krzyzewski</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/ray-kurzwell/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ray Kurzweil</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/eric-lander-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Eric S. Lander, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/robert-s-langer-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Robert S. Langer, Sc.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/richard-leakey/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Richard E. Leakey</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/leon-lederman-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Leon Lederman, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/robert-lefkowitz-m-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Robert J. Lefkowitz, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/congressman-john-r-lewis/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Congressman John R. Lewis</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/maya-lin/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Maya Lin</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/george-lucas/"><span class="achiever-list-name">George Lucas</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/paul-b-maccready-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Paul B. MacCready, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/norman-mailer/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Norman Mailer</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/peyton-manning/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Peyton Manning</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/wynton-marsalis/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Wynton Marsalis</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/john-c-mather-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">John C. Mather, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/johnny-mathis/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Johnny Mathis</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/ernst-mayr-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ernst Mayr, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/willie-mays/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Willie Mays</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/frank-mccourt/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Frank McCourt</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/david-mccullough/"><span class="achiever-list-name">David McCullough</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/audra-mcdonald/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Audra McDonald</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/admiral-william-h-mcraven/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Admiral William H. McRaven, USN</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/w-s-merwin/"><span class="achiever-list-name">W. S. Merwin</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/reinhold-messner/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Reinhold Messner</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/james-a-michener/"><span class="achiever-list-name">James A. Michener</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/marvin-minsky-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Marvin Minsky, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/mario-j-molina-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Mario J. Molina, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/n-scott-momaday-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">N. Scott Momaday, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/story-musgrave/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Story Musgrave, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/ralph-nader/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ralph Nader</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/peggy-noonan/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Peggy Noonan</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/jessye-norman/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Jessye Norman</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/tommy-norris/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lt. Thomas R. Norris, USN</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/joyce-carol-oates/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Joyce Carol Oates</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/pierre-omidyar/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Pierre Omidyar</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/jimmy-page/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Jimmy Page</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/larry-page/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Larry Page</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/arnold-palmer/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Arnold Palmer</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/leon-panetta/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Leon Panetta</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/rosa-parks/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Rosa Parks</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/suzan-lori-parks/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Suzan-Lori Parks</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/linus-pauling/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Linus C. Pauling, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/shimon-peres/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Shimon Peres</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/itzhak-perlman/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Itzhak Perlman</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/general-david-petraeus/"><span class="achiever-list-name">General David H. Petraeus, USA</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/sidney-poitier/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sidney Poitier</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/general-colin-l-powell/"><span class="achiever-list-name">General Colin L. Powell, USA</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/harold-prince/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Harold Prince</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/venki-ramakrishnan-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Venki Ramakrishnan, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/lord-martin-rees/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lord Martin Rees</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/lloyd-richards/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lloyd Richards</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/sally-ride-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sally K. Ride, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/sonny-rollins/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sonny Rollins</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/anthony-romero/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Anthony D. Romero</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/james-rosenquist/"><span class="achiever-list-name">James Rosenquist</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/pete-rozelle/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Pete Rozelle</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/bill-russell/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Bill Russell</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/albie-sachs/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Albie Sachs</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/oliver-sacks-m-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Oliver Sacks, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/jonas-salk-m-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Jonas Salk, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/frederick-sanger-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Frederick Sanger, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/george-b-schaller-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">George B. Schaller, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/barry-scheck/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Barry Scheck</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/richard-evans-schultes-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Richard Evans Schultes, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/general-h-norman-schwarzkopf/"><span class="achiever-list-name">General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, USA</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/stephen-schwarzman/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Stephen A. Schwarzman</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/glenn-t-seaborg-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Glenn T. Seaborg, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/neil-sheehan/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Neil Sheehan</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/admiral-alan-shepard-jr/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Admiral Alan B. Shepard, Jr., USN</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/ellen-johnson-sirleaf/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ellen Johnson Sirleaf</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/carlos-slim/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Carlos Slim Helú</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/frederick-w-smith/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Frederick W. Smith</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/stephen-sondheim/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Stephen Sondheim</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/sonia-sotomayor/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sonia Sotomayor</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/wole-soyinka/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Wole Soyinka</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/esperanza-spalding/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Esperanza Spalding</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/martha-stewart/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Martha Stewart</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/admiral-james-b-stockdale/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Admiral James B. Stockdale, USN</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/hilary-swank/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Hilary Swank</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/amy-tan/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Amy Tan</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/dame-kiri-te-kanawa/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Dame Kiri Te Kanawa</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/edward-teller-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Edward Teller, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/twyla-tharp/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Twyla Tharp</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/wayne-thiebaud/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Wayne Thiebaud</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/lt-michael-e-thornton-usn/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lt. Michael E. Thornton, USN</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/clyde-tombaugh/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Clyde Tombaugh</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/charles-h-townes-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Charles H. Townes, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/david-trimble/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lord David Trimble</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/ted-turner/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Robert Edward (Ted) Turner</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/desmond-tutu/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Archbishop Desmond Tutu</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/john-updike/"><span class="achiever-list-name">John Updike</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/gore-vidal/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Gore Vidal</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/antonio-villaraigosa/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Antonio Villaraigosa</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/lech-walesa/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lech Walesa</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/herschel-walker/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Herschel Walker</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/alice-waters/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Alice Waters</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20200917235210/https://achievement.org/achiever/james-d-watson/"><span class="achiever-list-name">James D. 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