How Simone Biles twisted and flipped her way into history
Learning Objective: Students compare and contrast two short, parallel nonfiction articles.
Simone the Star
Simone Biles stood on the balance beam. It was a 2019 world gymnastics competition. She was about to try a new move.
She was going to jump to the ground while doing two flips and two twists—in the air! Could she be the first gymnast to do the move? Biles flipped to the ground, landing on her feet. She had done it!
When a gymnast in a competition does a move that nobody has ever done, the move is named after them. This balance beam move is now called the Biles.
Hooked At Once
Courtesy Nellie Biles
Simone Biles at about 8 years old
Biles makes gymnastics look easy. But her life wasn’t always simple. When Biles was little, her mom couldn’t take care of her. So Biles was adopted by her grandparents. She didn’t want to sit still. She would run and jump all the time.
During a field trip, a gymnastics coach saw Biles moving around. The coach thought she should try the sport. Biles was hooked at once! She fell in love with gymnastics. She started practicing each day.
Biles soon became a star. At her first competition, she won first place in an event. She was only 13 years old.
So Many Medals
Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto SRL/Alamy Stock Photo
Biles doing a balance beam routine
Five years later, in 2016, she competed in the Olympic Games. Biles won five medals. It was a huge accomplishment. She was so proud that she was able to do it.
Biles didn’t stop there. She kept winning events. In 2021, Biles went to the Olympics again. But this time, something was wrong. She worried she might get hurt. She decided not to compete in all of the events.
Biles was frustrated. But she didn’t quit the sport. Biles continued to practice gymnastics. She focused on winning another gold medal. That became the main goal she worked on. In 2024, she traveled to Paris, France, for the Olympics. She won three more gold medals and one silver!
Biles has more medals than any other gymnast. She showed the world what happens when you never give up.
Simone the GOAT
Many people believe that Simone Biles is the gymnastics GOAT. That stands for “Greatest of All Time.” What makes her so special? Let’s look at the numbers.
Naomi Baker/Getty Images
11 Olympic medals:
No other American gymnast has won this many.
Cal Sport Media/Alamy Live News
7 hours:
That’s how long Biles spends training each day. Along with practicing gymnastics moves, she also swims a mile, runs a mile, or bikes 10 miles!
Francois Nel/Getty Images
30 World Championship medals:
That’s more medals than any other gymnast has.
Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images
Simone doing the Biles II
5 moves:
There are five moves named after Biles. That means she was the first person to ever do each move in a competition.
Implementation
Pairings and Text Connections
Before-Reading Resources
Suggested Reading Focus
After-Reading Skills Practice
After-Reading Video
(5 minutes)
