Simone Biles Becomes Female Athlete of the Year
- Emily Timm
- Feb 20, 2017
- 2 min read
After an amazing performance at the Olympics this summer, gold medalist Simone Biles becomes Female Athlete of the Year.
Simone Biles tried to treat the Olympics like any other gymnastics meet. So what if the stage and the stakes were higher and more rigorous? The competitions she performed in placed the 19 year old as the best in the world and maybe the best of all time. In August, over the course of of the 10 days she spent in Rio, she faced the most significant meet of her life, which ended like most of her others-standing at the top of the podium, a gold medal around her neck, smiling with a whole crowd watching. Not that she remembers any of it though, she is quoted saying most of the Olympics was "kind of a blur."
Her massive accomplishment in Rio, winning four gold medals and a bronze for the dominate U.S. woman's team, propelled Simone to stardom. With 31 out of a possible 59 votes, Simone was voted the Associate Press (AP) Female Athlete of the Year. She became the fifth female gymnast to win the honor
The teenager from Springs, Texas, didn't seem very bothered by the over-sized expectations of competing in Rio. She embraced them, if anything. The team won their first gold just as they were sending off their retired national team coordinator and two more golds closely followed behind. Simone's third personal medal was received on the vault, and was the first won by an American woman at the Olympics. As a result of a messy landing on a front flip, a bronze medal followed on the beam, but it was her only major mistake throughout her time in Rio. She put it behind her though, and topped off her golds with an outstanding floor routine.
The last four months have been crazy for her. Following the competitions she carried the U.S. flag in the closing ceremony, published her autobiography, participated in a post-Olympic tour, and hung out with the president at the White House. Even though she was extremely successful in Rio, she is still considering taking another shot in Tokyo in 2020.
Kommentare