Simone Biles may be making her Olympic debut at Rio, but she’s already widely considered as one of the greatest gymnasts of all time. She has already won 10 gold medals at the World Championships and two more at the Pacific Rim Championships. And she added one more gold at the American Cup in Arlington last year. She's only 19 years old, but has captured 13 gold medals, and is now taking aim at the ultimate prize and on the biggest stage at the Olympics.
Her quest starts on Sunday and while she's about to become a household name, we're guessing there are more than a few things that you don't know about the one of the most decorated female gymnasts in American history. Here are 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Simone Biles.
1. She's tiny.
Simone Biles stands at just 4', 8"—two inches shorter than Danny DeVito. And she has no problem “bragging” about her height (or lack of).
3. She was adopted by her grandparents.
Biles’ mother battled substance abuse, so her grandparents, Ron and Nellie, took Simone and her sister, Adria, under their wing. They were soon officially adopted. Simone even calls her grandmother “Mom.”
5. She was homeschooled throughout high school.
Once she started being homeschooled, she wound up training for up to 32 hours a week instead of 20. Looks like those extra hours of hard work paid off.
7. She's a Houston sports fan.
8. She called out the Texans’ fourth-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
No need to introduce herself to the public anymore.
9. She loves G-Eazy.
She told ABC News G-Eazy was her favorite artist, and posted this picture prior to one of his concerts.
11. She got hooked on gymnastics thanks to a field trip.
When she was six, Biles went on a day-care field trip to a gym, and the instructors wrote a note suggesting she take lessons. She did. And now she has her sights sent on gold medals.
12. She was supposed to attend UCLA.
Biles committed to UCLA on Aug. 4, 2014, but decided to turn pro almost one year later.
13. She is one of two female gymnasts with three all-around titles.
Biles won her third all-around World Championship gold in 2015 after winning it the previous two years, becoming the first woman in 23 years to accomplish that feat.
14. She’s a fan of Steph Curry for a reason other than Steph himself.
In her interview with ABC News, she said her favorite athlete was the back-to-back MVP, but because “I like his kids.”
