Simone Biles’ influence on gymnastics and the Olympics is enormous
After her convincing performance at the Paris Olympics, USA TODAY’s Nancy Armour says Simone Biles has cemented her reputation as the greatest gymnast.
GOAT. Legend. Idol. Those are just a few words that can be used to describe gymnast Simone Biles. The decorated Olympic athlete will join Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, Fred Richard, Hezly Rivera, Mélanie de Jesus dos Santos and others in Northeast Ohio later this year for a world-class gymnastics performance.
What is the Gold Over America Tour?
The “Gold Over America Tour” with Simone Biles takes place on October 27th at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.
“Get ready for a pop concert-style spectacle showcasing sporting brilliance, championship travel and, of course, the Gold Squad dancers,” the tour’s website says.
The initials “GOAT” are a reference to Biles’ status as the “Greatest of All Time.”
This is the second edition of the tour, which first took place in 2021, with the aim of embodying strength, resilience and determination to audiences young and old.
In addition to the show in Cleveland, the tour will make another stop in Ohio on November 2nd in Cincinnati.
When do ticket sales start?
Tickets went on sale in May at rocketmortgagefieldhouse.com/events/detail/gold-over-america-102724.
Who is Simone Biles?
Biles was actually born in Columbus, but grew up as a foster child near Houston, Texas, according to Andscape, before being officially adopted by her maternal grandfather and his wife.
At 27 years old, she is the most successful gymnast of all time. She has won a total of 40 medals at world championships and the Olympic Games.
In 2022, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian award.
In December 2023, Biles ranked as the 16th highest-paid female athlete in the world, according to Forbes, with an income of $7.1 million, making her the first gymnast to be among the highest-paid athletes in at least 12 years.
Simone Biles makes history at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris
With her second Olympic all-around title on August 1 at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Biles surpassed all other GOATs.
She is the third woman to win two Olympic all-around titles and the first to do so at non-consecutive Games. She has nine Olympic medals, six of them gold. A total of 40 medals at World Championships and Olympic Games, more than any other gymnast, male or female. Not to mention six world championship titles, which is twice as many as the next woman.
At the 2018 World Championships, she won a medal in every discipline, including gold on vault and floor and bronze on balance beam, as well as silver on uneven bars. Earlier this summer, she swept every discipline at the US Championships.
Biles also changed her sport. Five routines are named after her, including the Yurchenko double spike, which is so difficult that few men can do it. Not only was she the first to do these routines, they are so advanced and so difficult that few could compete with her.
Simone Biles sheds light on mental health
Simone Biles’ impact on mental health continues to resonate
Olympic gymnast Simone Biles has withdrawn from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, having no idea what impact this decision would have on the mental health debate.
USA TODAY
Biles spoke openly about her mental health struggles when she unexpectedly withdrew from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. She spoke about dealing with “twisties,” a mental block that gymnasts can face.
Growing anxiety from the high expectations placed on her and the isolation of COVID protocols caused her to lose track of where she stood in the air, wrote USA TODAY reporter Nancy Armour. Not wanting to risk her health and safety, Biles withdrew from all but one final at these Olympics.
She said she prioritized her weekly therapy sessions during this year’s Olympics.
“To see how I’ve developed, even compared to Tokyo, even compared to the 19-year-old from Rio, is incredible. I’m really proud of the work she’s done because I never thought I’d be on a world stage again.”
Who is Simone Biles’ husband?
Biles married Jonathan Owens, a safety for the NFL’s Chicago Bears, on April 22, 2023, in Mexico.
Owens was playing for the Houston Texans when he and Biles got together and signed with the Green Bay Packers shortly after their wedding. He is now under contract with the Bears.
Biles was a mainstay on the sidelines in Wisconsin, cheering on her husband, and Owens got a chance to get revenge at the 2024 Olympics when the Bears allowed him to sit out “a few days” of training camp to support his wife in Paris.
Owens caused quite a stir when he insisted that he had never heard of Biles before they met.
“I never really paid attention to gymnastics,” Owens admitted when he was a guest on “The Pivot” podcast last year. He said he didn’t watch the 2016 Olympics, when Biles was one of the brightest stars of the Summer Games. “It piqued my curiosity.”
The podcast hosts weren’t convinced. Check out the 8:53 minute mark in the episode linked here.
USA TODAY contributed to this report.
