Simone Biles, 19, took the Olympics by storm these last two weeks by showing the world what she is truly made of. She wowed us with her determination and calmness during each event. She made us all fall in love with her one flip at a time. Here are 10 reasons why Simone Biles is legendary and in my opinion, the best gymnast the USA has ever seen.
1. She has a move named after her
Her signature tumbling pass on floor is The Biles which happens to be named after her. She does a double layout with a half twist before landing and going right into a leap. She also never fails to stick the landing.
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2. She is a 3x World Champion
Simone is one of two 3x world champions in women's gymnastics. The only other women who has done this is Svetlana Khorkina of Russia. Simone is, however, the only woman who has won 3 consecutive world championships.
3. Her vault is far above the competition
With a start score of 16.3 and her ability to perfect the vault, it is nearly impossible to catch up to Simone. In the 2016 Olympics Individual Vault Finals, Simone scored a 15.966 securing gold. Maria Paseka of Russia clinched the silver with a 15.293, a good score but no where near the caliber of SImone.
4. She rarely messes up
Like in the vault, Simone has a mental toughness that pushes out all the nerves. Nearly every routine she performs from floor to beam is perfect with some minor deductions. Simone is also known to stick her landings. To everyone's surprise, she did mess up on the beam in the 2016 Olympics Individual Beam Finals. A rare occasion that cost her gold.
5. The Final Five won 9 medals all together
Thanks to Simone's 5 medals, the Final Five won 9 medals all together. They included the team all-around final, gold on vault, gold and silver on floor, gold and silver in the individual all-around, silver and bronze on beam, and silver on uneven bars. This is the first time 9 medals have been won by any country in single Olympics.
6. Zac Efron came to Rio for her
If winning 4 gold medals and one bronze medal isn't enough, she won Zac Efron as well! Simone told Ellen earlier this year that she had the biggest crush on Zac and he definitely remembered. Not only was be rooting for Simone via twitter, he even flew out to Rio to surprise her and he Final Five. Love at first tweet maybe?
7. She won 4 gold medals and 1 bronze
If you didn't know Simone won 4 gold medals and a bronze you must be living under a rock. This was an amazing journey for the 19 year old and she made USA proud. Simone is one of 5 women to ever win 4 gold medals in a single Olympics.
8. She always has a smile on her face
Simone is always smiling. She smiles when she is supporting her team, performing, supporting other teams, and even when she doesn't do the best. Her laugh is also contagious. I have never seen an athlete smile so much, but she does have a lot to smile about. *cough, cough, 4 gold medals.
9. She is a hilarious 19 year old
Simone is always joking around and having fun. She not only cracked me up during her interview with Aly Raisman and when she met Zac Efron but she also made me laugh when I saw this video. A bee landed in Simone's bouquet and her and the other medalists couldn't stop laughing.
10. She was chosen as the US flag carrier at the closing ceremony
To top off Simone's amazing Olympic journey, she was chosen to carry the flag at the closing ceremony. This is an amazing honor, especially being on 19. Standing at just 4' 9'', she waved that flag like it was no one's business.
Simone Biles is a special and extraordinary woman. Simone made history at these 2016 Rio Olympics and she isn't done. Keep an eye out because this girl will be coming for Tokyo 2020. Watch out world.
