"That's how my journey as an elite gymnast began" - When Simone Biles opened up about facing national team selection setback

Previews - 2023 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships - Source: Getty
Simone Biles of United States during the 2023 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. (Photo by Getty Images)

Simone Biles is widely regarded as one of the greatest gymnasts of all time with a career marked by unparalleled achievements, including multiple Olympic and world championships medals. However, she has also faced her share of defeats.

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In her autobiography Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance, published in 2016, Simone Biles reflected on the moment of losing a spot in the national team with a thin margin. Having commenced her elite gymnastics career in 2011 as a junior, she competed in the Visa National Championships, which acted as the qualifying event for national team selection.

She collected a total of 108.100 points after competing on all four apparatus. However, she fell short of earning a spot in the national team after finishing in 14th place, when only first 13-place finishers were selected.

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"I had come to Nationals with a goal of making the 2011 team, and it didn’t happen," Biles wrote. "I simply hadn’t been good enough. That’s how my journey as an elite gymnast began—with a defeat that put an ache in my heart and doubts in my mind. As much as my family and coaches had cheered me on through hours and hours of training, through wobbles and missteps, through bumps and bruises, I was always secretly afraid that I’d let them and myself down."
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The legendary gymnast later on went to record a history by clinching ninth all-around national title in 2024.

Simone Biles receives the Sports Illustrated’s 2024 Sportsperson of the Year Award for her heroics at the Paris Olympics

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

Simone Biles received the SI Sportsperson of the Year Award following the 2024 Paris Olympics heroics. She received the honor on January 7, 2025, at the event held in Las Vegas.

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At the French capital, she bagged three gold medals and one silver. The legendary gymnast clinched her second Olympic gold medal in the all-around event by posting 59.131 points to surpass Rebeca Andrade and fellow teammate Suni Lee, who listed 57.932 and 56.465 points, respectively.

Along with the team, including Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, Suni Lee, and Hezly Rivera, she collected a gold medal in the team event after defeating the Brazilian and Italian teams. She further bagged her second Olympic medal in the floor event afer following Rebeca Andrade. Bringing her total Olympic medals count to 11, Simone Biles became the most decorate American Olympic gymnast.

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Edited by Neelabhra Roy
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