"Had to swallow my own disappointment" - When Simone Biles opened up on overcoming heartbreak after missing national team by one spot

Simone Biles has a career filled with extraordinary victories including multiple Olympic and World Championships. Yet, she has also encountered moments of defeat.

In her autobiography 'Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance' published in 2016, Biles reflected on how she struggled hard to overcome the heartbreak of missing the qualification for national team selection by one spot. The legendary gymnast commenced her elite gymnastics career in 2011 as a junior. Her first major event was the Visa National Championships, which served as the qualifying event for national team selection.

Biles competed in all the events and collected 108.100 points. She finished at 14th spot but only the first 13-place finishers were selected to form the national team. The setback crushed Biles. Reflecting on the setback, she stated how she masked her disappointment with a smile, as she watched others make the national team.

"I kept a smile plastered on my face as an announcer called each new team member to the stage," Biles wrote. "The rest of us stood on the sidelines as the chosen ones laughed and high-fived and hugged each other. As devastated as I felt, I was still happy for the other girls; they’d worked hard to make it this far. Still, I had to swallow my own disappointment as I watched photographers snap pictures that would later appear in USA Gymnastics magazine, Sports Illustrated, Time for Kids."

Simone Biles went on to earn a record-breaking ninth National Championship in 2024

Simone Biles of Team United States during the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France. (Photo via Getty Images)

Although Simone Biles fell short of earning qualification for the national team in her first major competition, she now holds the record for most national championships titles. She has collected the national all-around titles in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2024 editions of the championships.

Biles' bagged her last national championship during the 2024 edition held at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. She dominated the individual all-around title by scoring a total of 119.750 points, defeating Skye Blakely and Kayla DiCello, who bagged 113.850 and 110.800 points, respectively.

Following her latest national championship victory, the legendary gymnast became the oldest to have won the title. In the same year, she also became the most decorated American Olympic gymnast of all time after bagging four medals - three gold and one silver, in all-around, team, vault and floor, respectively.