United States | Weekend profile

Simone Biles is the most decorated gymnast in history

Her triumphant comeback at the Paris Olympics confirms her as also one of the most popular

USA's Simone Biles performs on the balance beam during the women's All-Around final, Paris Olympics.
Photograph: Alamy

SIMONE BILES is widely considered the best gymnast of all time. The 1.4-metre tall American has won 30 World Championship medals and had seven Olympic medals when she arrived in Paris—a tally she has already added to by winning, among other medals, the gold for “all-around” gymnast—and she still has finals to go. There are five skills named after her—only one of which has ever been performed by other athletes in competition. But Ms Biles still feels as though she has something to prove. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 she suffered a case of what gymnasts call the “twisties”, the feeling of not knowing where your body is in the air. She pulled out of most events, and many expected this to be the apogee—and the end—of her career. But this year, at the age of 27, Ms Biles has decided to take one more leap.

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