Let’s start by telling you a bit about the course tutor herself. Simone Biles is an American artistic gymnast who was born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1997. She has won a total of 30 Olympic and World Championship medals, making her the USA’s most decorated gymnast. She is also the third most decorated gymnast in the world.
Biles started gymnastics at the age of just six, and by the age of eight she was training with coach Aimee Boorman. Her elite career would begin in 2011, when she was 14 years old. In 2012, she was named to the US Junior Team, and by 2013 had made her senior competitive debut at the 2013 American Cup. It was also in 2013 that Biles would first compete in the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, which took place that year in Antwerp, Belgium. She enjoyed significant success, becoming the first American gymnast to qualify to the all-around and all four event finals since Shannon Miller in 1991.
It was in 2016 that Biles would really hit the headlines, though. That was when her participation and success at the Rio Olympics would catapult her to international stardom. She won four gold medals at the games, a feat that set an American record for most gold medals in women’s gymnastics at a single Games. She also became the sixth female gymnast to win an individual all-around title at both the World Championships and the Olympics. She was chosen by Team USA to be their flag bearer at the closing ceremony, making her the first African-American woman to be awarded that particular honour.
In addition to the medals she has won at championships, Biles has also picked up a host of other awards for her career. She was named as Team USA Female Olympic Athlete of the Year in December 2015. Exactly a year later, she became one of the sponsors of US Navy aircraft carrier USS Enterprise alongside swimmer Katie Ledecky. The two women were the first Olympians to be awarded this honour. Her most recent award came in November 2019, when Biles won the People’s Choice Award for The Game Changer of 2019.
Given such a glittering career, it can be hard sometimes to remember that Biles is still just 22 years old. Her remarkable achievements make her an ideal candidate to teach a Masterclass course on gymnastics. So what does the Simone Biles Masterclass course actually contain? We’ll take a closer look at that now.