"Aimee Boorman knew I was struggling" - When Simone Biles opened up about feeling frustrated under strict training regime of Martha Karolyi

Simone Biles once opened up on her experience during the initial days under the strict training regime of Martha Karolyi. Biles was invited by Karolyi to train at the Karolyi Ranch in New Waverly, Texas when the gymnast was 13.

In her autobiography Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance, published in 2016, Biles opened up about her struggle with the level of rigor under Karolyi's coaching. While having a more relaxed and fun nature and approach towards training, Biles felt confined and frustrated at the Karolyi Ranch.

She further highlighted that while she was dissatisfied with the monotonous training, the US gymnastics coach Aimee Boorman noticed her struggle. Biles further appreciated Aimee's support, stating only the latter understood how to manage her.

"First-timers at the ranch are always a little intimidated by Martha. She’s very no-nonsense," Biles wrote.

"At the ranch, being committed meant you kept a straight face and did the conditioning drills and worked at perfecting your skills until you thought you were so tired you couldn’t go on—and then you worked some more. Let’s just say that with all that formality and rigor, I was not a happy camper. Maybe the feeling of wanting everything to be more fun was normal for a fourteen-year-old, but there was no place for me to express that during the training. Aimee knew I was struggling; she’d caught me rolling my eyes once or twice at having to repeat a particular move again and again," she added.

Simone Biles secured five medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics

Simone Biles of Team United at the Olympic Games 2024 at Bercy Arena in Paris, France. (Photo by Getty Images)

Simone Biles competed in her first Olympic Games at the 2016 edition, when. In her debut edition of the sporting event, Biles cemented her legendary prospect by clinching five medals, including four gold medals in all-around, team, vault, and floor exercise events.

She defeated her fellow teammate Aly Raisman to dominate the individual all-around and floor events. Further, along with the Final Five team, including Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian, Raisman, and Gabby Douglass, she bagged the team's gold medal.

The team was named Final Five as it was last gymnastics team formed under Martha Karolyi's guidance. Biles also topped the vault event at the Rio Olympic Games. Later, the legendary gymnast collected a silver medal in the balance beam event.