"Was used to that sort of pressure" - When Simone Biles opened up on dealing with high pressure before competing at her third World Championships

Simone Biles once reflected on the pressure and expectations she faced heading into the 2015 World Championships in Glasgow. Biles took part in the 2015 Championships after dominating the 2013 and 2014 editions.

In her autobiography titled Courage to Soar (published in 2016), Biles talked about receiving a lot of attention as she could make history by winning her third consecutive world title and becoming the most decorated American gymnast in World Championships history.

Despite the high expectations, Biles mentioned that she was used to the pressure by that point, as she hadn't lost a single meet since 2013, making her a three-time US National champion and a two-time world champion.

"All year, people had been tweeting me, Three-peat, three-peat, three peat," Biles wrote. "Everyone was telling me I could make history by winning Worlds a third consecutive time. Not only would I be the first American woman to do that, but if I delivered strong performances in the event finals, I could also become the most decorated American gymnast in World's history. As astonishing as that was for me to think about, since winning Nationals in 2013, I hadn’t lost a single meet in which I’d competed in all four events."

"I was used to that sort of pressure by now," she added.

At the 2015 edition of the world championships, Biles clinched gold medals in team, all-around, balance beam, and floor exercise. Further, the legendary gymnast also bagged a bronze medal in the vault event.

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Simone Biles holds the record for the most National Championship titles

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

Simone Biles holds the record for the most National Championships titles in the USA. She has so far bagged nine national championships in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2024.

Her latest championships was during the 2024 edition held at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas in June. She bagged a total of 119.750 points, surpassing Skye Blakely and Kayla DiCello, who registered 113.850 and 110.800 points, respectively.

This achievement at Texas also made her the oldest gymnast to have won the title. In the same year, at the 2024 Paris Games, Simone Biles enjoyed a successful streak, collecting three gold medals and one silver medal at the French capital, and becoming the most decorated U.S. Olympic gymnast.