Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast in the history of the sport, has unlocked another milestone off the mat. The 26-year old has been nominated for her first ever People’s Choice Athlete of the Year award.

Previously, Biles had been nominated for the People’s Choice Game Changer award thrice, and won in both 2019 and 2021. For the American, this nomination comes on the heels of an incredible 2023.

This past year saw Simone Biles make a comeback to her sport after a two-year hiatus that began after the Tokyo Olympics. On her first event back, the 2023 US Classics, the gymnast looked like she’d never left.

She kicked her campaign off with multiple incredible performances, before going on to win a gold in the all-around, balance beam and floor, as well as a bronze on the uneven bars. She even debuted her Yurchenko Double Pike vault, making history as the first gymnast to ever land that move in competition.

Next up, Simone Biles displayed her prowess on the international stage, at the 2023 Antwerp Artistic Gymnastics World Championships. At the end of the competition, Biles walked away with four golds and a silver, taking her total World Championships medal to 34. This further cemented her place as the most decorated gymnast in history.

While in Belgium, the American also performed the Yurchenko Double Pike vault, and had the move officially renamed the Biles II, making it the fifth skill to be named after her.

Simone Biles is joined by Coco Gauff, Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Lionel Messi, Sabrina Ionescu, Stephen Curry and Travis Kelce in being nominated for the People’s Choice Athlete of the Year award.

American Simone Biles said she felt like a failure following a disappointing 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Biles was aiming for six gold medals at the Games, which took place in 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Instead, the 26-year-old won a silver and bronze as she suffered with the ‘twisties’, which gymnasts describe as a kind of mental block, in Japan.

“I wish I could sit here and tell you it was glorious,” Biles told Vanity Fair magazine., external

“When I took a break after 2016 [Rio Olympics], I had the time of my life. I was doing anything and everything.

“But after 2020, it was kind of depressing until I started therapy and got help.

“I felt like a failure.”

Biles won four gold medals at the Games in Rio as she won the all-round, vault, floor and team events.

In Tokyo, she won a silver in the team event and bronze in the beam but pulled out of four events to prioritise her mental health as she struggled with the ‘twisties’.

“Even though I was empowering so many people and speaking out about mental health, every time I talked about my experience in Tokyo – because it obviously didn’t go the way that I had planned – it stung a little bit. But all in all, it was the best decision,” added Biles.

She returned to gymnastics following a two-year break when she won the all-round title at the US Classic.

Biles went on to win four gold medals at the World Championships in Belgium in 2023 and, in winning her second, became the most decorated gymnast in history with a total of 34 world and Olympic medals.

On making the Olympics in Paris this year, she said: “If I don’t make it to Paris, it won’t absolutely crush me.”

Simone Biles has admitted she found it ‘weird’ to be watching her husband for the Green Bay Packers‘ victory over the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this season.

The U.S gymnast, a four-time Olympic gold medalist, is used to people watching her perform in front of millions. Instead, she swapped the spotlight for a seat in th

It just so happened that Taylor Swift would be in the opposite box supporting her beau Travis Kelce, who plays as a tight end for the Chiefs.

Biles, meanwhile, was fully behind her man Jonathan Owens as they looked to claim an important victory. One of Biles and Swift would go home with a happy partner, and on this occasion, the Packers impressed despite Kelce‘s return of four catches for 81 yards.

Owens, who plays as a safety and made five tackles, came out on the winning side as his team edged it 27-19 on December 4. They eventually closed out the regular season with a 9-8 record before the playoffs.

While Swift has been seen at eight Chiefs games this season, Biles admitted she felt somewhat out of her comfort zone watching from the stands, adding it was ‘definitely not’ her activity.

“It’s a little bit weird because I’m like, this is definitely not my gig, but I know how excited [the fans] are,” Biles said.

“There was no selfie, and I’m not sure they were exactly happy that the Packers were beating them.”

Simone Biles opens up wedding to Jonathan Owens

Owens, who previously admitted he had no clue who Biles was when they met, first found her on the invite-only dating app, Raya, back in 2020.

They tied the knot in April 2023 in an intimate courthouse ceremony in Houston before repeating their nuptials in Mexico – a memory Biles says was the most fun she has ever had.

e VIP box to catch a game of NFL.

“We could have had so many more people, but we really wanted to make it as intimate and as special as possible,” Biles told Vanity Fair. “I was like, ‘Not to knock your football coach from third grade, but baby, when was the last time you talked to him?'”

She added: “I’ve never had so much fun in my life. I was 19 when I won my first Olympics, and I was like, How am I supposed to top this? My wedding topped it. It was the greatest feeling ever.”

The American superstar graces the February cover of Vanity Fair magazine

The world’s most decorated gymnast ever Simone Biles made her return to gymnastics following a hiatus after the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in 2023 look easy, as she soared to a record eighth U.S. all-around crown and a sixth global title weeks later.

But, the 26-year-old says appearances may not be exactly as they seem.

“I felt like I was back in my element and it was exciting,” Biles told Vanity Fair magazine for its February issue of which she graces the cover. “But I was truly petrified. I had the training to back it up because we worked really hard, [but] I wasn’t as confident or as comfortable as I wanted to be.”

Despite the nerves, Biles won five medals including four golds at the 2023 World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, site of her first global championships a decade earlier.

With 37 World and Olympic medals, Biles is the most decorated athlete the sport has ever seen. Her Antwerp haul pushed her past previous record holder Vitaly Scherbo’s 33 career medals.

While Biles has yet to announce her competition schedule for 2024, it’s likely fans may have to wait until May’s U.S. Classic to see the superstar back in action.

Simone Biles says a return to the Olympics in Paris this summer is not certain, and she would not be crushed if she did not go to the Games. The American became the most decorated athlete in the history of the sport at the World Championships last year, winning four gold medals in Antwerp at her first major event since taking a break for her mental health.

The 26-year-old also became the first woman to successfully land the , a move which is now named after her.

Biles had taken time out from the sport after speaking openly about the mental difficulties she dealt with at the Tokyo Games, when she suffered with what is known as the ‘twisties’, an issue which causes a mental block to routines gymnasts could often do with their eyes closed.

She returned to take bronze in the balance beam competition, but any question around whether she has unfinished business at the Olympics has been denied by Biles, who has seven medals from two previous Games, including four golds.

“If I don’t make it to Paris, it won’t absolutely crush me,” she told Vanity Fair.

Asked “so nothing definitive”, Biles then replied: “Correct”.

Seven-time Olympic medalist Simone Biles recently shared her views on handling the fame she gained in the initial years of her gymnastics career. The 26-year-old stated that while her fame cannot be compared to someone like Taylor Swift, it’s still somewhat difficult to handle at times.

Biles rose to immense fame during the 2013 World Championship in Antwerp. At the age of 16, she became the first African-American gymnast to win the all-around title at the international championship. Biles’ popularity continued to soar when she won four gold medals at the 2016 Olympic Games.

The American sports star built her fame like no other athlete. Fans and media always followed her, wanting to know more about the decorated gymnast.

Looking back at her initial years and how she handled her new-found fame, Simone Biles told Vanity Fair in a recent interview:

More than Biles, it was her parents who found it difficult to handle their daughter’s fame. She revealed that they wanted to protect their daughter from fans, reporters, and photographers. However, the situation was out of their hands.

Simone Biles also said in the interview: