Simone Biles (Simone Arianne Biles Owens, born 14 March 1997) is an American artistic gymnast. Her 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals make her the most decorated gymnast in history, and she is widely regarded as one of the greatest gymnasts and female athletes of all time. This biography follows her life and career up to November 2026.
Simone Biles at a Glance
| Full name | Simone Arianne Biles Owens |
| Born | 14 March 1997, Columbus, Ohio, United States |
| Age | 29 (as of November 2026) |
| Profession | Artistic gymnast |
| Olympic medals | 11 (7 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze) |
| World Championship medals | 30 (23 gold, 4 silver, 3 bronze) |
| Olympic Games | 2016 (Rio), 2020 (Tokyo), 2024 (Paris) |
| National titles | Record 9 US all-around championships |
| Honour | Presidential Medal of Freedom (2022) |
| Spouse | Jonathan Owens (married 22 April 2023) |
Early Life
Simone Biles was born in Columbus, Ohio, the third of four siblings. Her birth mother was unable to care for the children and all four went in and out of foster care. In 2000 her maternal grandfather, Ron Biles, and his wife, Nellie, began caring for the children in Spring, Texas, and in 2003 they formally adopted Simone and her younger sister Adria. Biles holds Belizean citizenship through her adoptive mother. In 2012 she moved from public school to home schooling so that she could increase her training from about 20 to 32 hours a week, and she earned her high-school diploma in mid-2015.
Rise to the Top
Biles won her first of six World all-around titles in 2013, followed by titles in 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2023. She is a record six-time World floor champion and four-time World balance beam champion, and a member of a record five gold-medal-winning US teams at the World Championships. Domestically she has won a record nine US national all-around titles, and in 2024 she became the oldest female gymnast to win the title.
Olympic Games
At the 2016 Rio Olympics Biles won the individual all-around, vault and floor exercise and led the "Final Five" to team gold, and she took bronze on balance beam. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics she was favoured to win at least four of the six golds, but she withdrew from most of the competition after the qualification round because of "the twisties", a temporary loss of air awareness while performing twisting skills. She won silver with the US team and bronze on balance beam, and she later said her decision brought a wider conversation about athletes' mental health.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics she returned to win the team gold with the "Golden Girls", the individual all-around and vault, and silver on floor exercise. That brought her total to 11 Olympic medals, the most for any US gymnast and tied with Věra Čáslavská as the second-most decorated female Olympic gymnast, behind Larisa Latynina. At the closing ceremony she took part in the passing of the Olympic flag to the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
Skills and Honours
Biles has originated the most difficult skills on vault, balance beam and floor exercise, and she is the only gymnast to attempt them. In July 2022 President Joe Biden awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, making her its youngest recipient. She has won the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year award four times, in 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2025, and the Laureus Comeback of the Year award in 2024. At the 2025 ESPY Awards she won Best Female Athlete for the second time.
Advocacy
On 18 January 2018 Biles said that the former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar had sexually assaulted her, and that USA Gymnastics had helped cover up the abuse. She has spoken publicly about mental health and about reforming the sport.
Personal Life
Biles began dating the American football player Jonathan Owens in August 2020. They became engaged on 15 February 2022 and married on 22 April 2023.
Legacy
Biles changed gymnastics by performing skills that others did not attempt, and by speaking openly about the pressure on elite athletes. This biography draws on [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simone_Biles), [Britannica](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Simone-Biles) and [Olympics.com](https://olympics.com/en/news/simone-biles-all-titles-records-medals-complete-list).
