"Tears were bubbling up inside me" - When Simone Biles opened up on falling short to make the national team

Simone Biles once reflected on the emotional moment she experienced while struggling with disappointment and self-doubt in 2011. She began her elite gymnastics career in 2011 as a junior.

In her first elite gymnastics, Biles fell short of earning a spot in the national team. At the 2011 Visa National Championships, she competed in all four apparatus, bagging a total of 108.100 points. In her autobiography Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance, she reflected on the disappointing moment.

Biles recollected the moment when as the names were announced one by one, she hoped to see her name appear next to earn a spot in the junior team. However, she missed out on the team by just one spot after being placed in the 14th position as the last selected athlete, Madison Desch, was number 13th.

Biles described her inner turmoil in the book, writing:

"Tears were bubbling up inside me, but I refused to let the other girls or the coaches see me cry. I kept telling myself I’d done my best, trying to drown out the little voice in my head that whispered, 'But did you really? Couldn’t you have worked a little harder? Why didn’t you do more?' The truth is that my heart was breaking. I had come to Nationals with a goal of making the 2011 team, and it didn’t happen. I simply hadn’t been good enough."

Simone Biles holds the record for most national championships in gymnastics

Simone Biles of Team United States competes in the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Following her 2024 National Championship performance, Simone Biles now holds the record for most national championships in gymnastics, previously having won in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023.

At the 2024 Championships held from May 30 to June 2 in Dickies Arena in Forth Worth, Texas, Biles dominated all the events, including the individual all-around title and also became the oldest gymnast to do so. She led the event by five points after collecting 119.750 and surpassing Skye Blakely who bagged 113.850 points. Biles' notable victories made her eligible for the Olympic Trials.

At the Trials, Biles dominated the floor and all-around and secured a spot to compete in her third Games at the French capital, where she clinched three gold and one silver medal.