“It was a very long and hard decision. My dad kept telling me, 'You can always go to college, but you can't always go pro.' That made sense to me.”

American artistic gymnast, born 1997

Simone Biles Owens is an American artistic gymnast. Born in 1997, she has become one of the defining athletes of her sport, with 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals. Her record makes her the most decorated gymnast in history, and she holds the most Olympic medals earned by a U.S. gymnast. She is also tied with Věra Čáslavská as the second-most decorated female Olympic gymnast, behind Larisa Latynina.