Gymnastics is synonymous with Simone Biles. That is how iconic she is in terms of the sport. The 26-year-old aced at the Rio Olympics to carve her name in the country’s history books. Yet, all champions start small, and at six, Biles wasn’t sure about the sport.

In a chat with CNN, the Olympic gold medalist sat down to reminisce about her childhood while advocating for a special cause. Growing up as a foster kid, Biles knew what it was like to not have a constant for a long time. And while her happy ending came with her grandparents adopting her, she found her true purpose during a class field trip.

However, despite her natural talent shining, Biles confessed that no one thought too much about the whole ordeal. Becoming a world-famous gymnast pretty much came naturally to her, and she’s grateful for all the opportunities to date.

After a brief hiatus following her walking out of the Tokyo Olympics, Biles proved that she still has the zeal and expertise. At the recent World Championships, the 26-year-old GOAT won a total of four gold medals throughout the meet. So what’s next for the champ?

Simone Biles stuns in Antwerp and gears up for Paris

The World Championships in Antwerp witnessed history rewritten at the bars and beams. Biles pulled off a major feat after a two-year break and crushed every single performance. With her parents in attendance, the star gymnast aced multiple rounds to grab the gold. But now, are the upcoming Olympics on the charts?

Biles previously confessed that while she doesn’t wish to take up pressure about thinking of the Olympics, it is the ultimate goal. So far, not thinking too much about the consequences and doing her best has been a successful tactic for the Olympian. But will the Paris Olympics see her best version ever? Only time will tell.

Simone Biles recently shared her thoughts on the crucial topic of support for foster children. Despite her stellar career, Biles faced a challenging upbringing.

Born on March 14, 1997, in Columbus, Ohio, she was placed in foster care at the age of three alongside her siblings due to her biological mother’s struggles with addiction.

For three years, Biles and her siblings navigated the complexities of foster care until their maternal grandfather, Ronald Biles, and his second wife Nellie, stepped in to adopt Simone and her younger sister Adria. The family resettled in Houston, Texas, providing stability and a loving home.

Opened up about her time in foster care

Today, Biles has transformed her personal journey into advocacy, serving as an ambassador for Friends of the Children, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting at-risk youth.

In a recent interview with Alisyn Camerota for CNN Heroes, Biles opened up about her time in foster care, emphasizing the importance of support for foster children and shedding light on her own experiences to inspire positive change.

“I actually was a foster kid so I know some of the hardships that those kids go through,” said Biles.

“When my siblings and I entered foster care, it was because our biological mom was stuggling with drug and alcohol abuse.

“I was three years old. I just remember us, as kids, being so hungry and I remember this cat that would get fed and not us. Thankfully, we actually got to stay in one foster home and we were all together.”

As one teammate, Joscelyn Roberson, was downed by a shock injury in the warm-ups and others were tense under the pressure of international competition, Simone Biles’s first final back on Wednesday night gave an appropriate demonstration of the more underrated qualities that have made her so successful for so long.

Biles is certainly the best gymnast in the world, but the 26-year-old’s success is also driven by the mental strength that has allowed her to win so consistently and under so much pressure. When her teammates needed her, she was there. Biles’s all-around total in the team final was 58.732, 1.633 points higher than the second-best performer and she closed out the night with one of her best-ever floor routines.

On Friday Biles will try to win the world all-around title for a sixth time, a competition in which she remains unbeaten since her debut in Antwerp a decade ago. Between her scores in the qualification round and the team final – by far the two highest international all-around scores of this Olympic quad – and the strong mental state she appears to be in, Biles is the prohibitive favourite to maintain her dominance.

The question is whether anyone will come close enough to at least put her under pressure. The defending champion, Rebeca Andrade, is clearly the most capable. Andrade’s trajectory remains one of the most satisfying in the sport’s recent history. Despite the immense talent she clearly held as a junior, her potential was constantly stunted by injuries as she tore her anterior cruciate ligaments (ACL) on three separate occasions between 2015 and 2019.

By 2019, there were significant doubts about whether Andrade would ever be healthy enough to thrive. Instead, she returned just in time in 2021 to enjoy an incredible breakout Olympics in Tokyo, winning gold on vault and silver in the all-around, which have catapulted her to greater success. The world all-around title followed last year and on Wednesday she led Brazil to a historic team silver medal. In Biles’s absence since Tokyo, she has been the gymnast of this period.

If Biles has taken women’s gymnastics to impossible heights that few could have ever imagined, Andrade is the type of gymnast that many fans dreamed of. She combines her great power, amplitude, form, technique and grace across all four apparatuses with boundless charisma. If the 24-year-old competes at her very best on Thursday, Andrade is capable of scoring up to around 58, a huge score, but one that would still rest on mistakes from Biles in order for her to be competitive.

Last weekend, however, the second-highest qualifier was Shilese Jones, Biles’s teammate, who at 21 years old has gradually improved to become a top all-around competitor, and is one of the numerous medal contenders. If she can control her extremely difficult Cheng vault, Great Britain’s Jessica Gadirova will also be in contention for a medal, as is Mélanie de Jesus dos Santos after leading France to a team bronze medal.

At the US world selection camp last month, Jones came so close to beating Biles in a bizarre meet. After a nervous Biles made numerous mistakes, in the final rotation Jones stepped up to her favourite apparatus, the uneven bars, needing just an average routine in order to win. Instead, Jones made a massive, freak error, brushing her feet on the floor, which cost her a full point penalty and allowed Biles to take the win.

As in Tokyo, where Biles withdrew from five of six finals to focus on her mental health, the event underlined that she is human. But it also showed how difficult it is, physically and mentally, to outperform her even at her worst. If Biles performs well, she will win. If she feels the pressure, her rivals will likely still have to perform out of their skins just to keep up.

Simone Biles is speaking out after a recent photo posted on her social media left fans speculating whether she was pregnant.

The Olympic gold medalist had shared a photo of herself supporting her husband, Jonathan Owens, on Monday night (December 12) as she watched the Green Bay Packers take on the New York Giants at the MetLife Stadium.

The 26-year-old wore a pair of burgundy leggings paired with a matching sweater, as well as an oversized camouflage jacket and a black beanie.

While Biles may have simply opted for comfort and coziness for the event, her comments were flooded with people asking whether she was hiding a bun in the oven.

“I see that belly,” one person wrote while another continued, “Picture is sending baby vibes.”

As the comments continued to pour in, it wasn’t long before the gymnast decided to address her fans. She reposted her initial IG photo on her Instagram Story along with a caption to was sure to set the record straight.

Simone Biles’ Big Comeback

With the 2024 Paris Olympics right around the corner, a pregnancy announcement could have impacted Biles’ upcoming plans to represent her country and compete in the games.

If she makes the cut, it will mark her first major return since withdrawing herself from five event finals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to prioritize her mental health, per Spectrum News NY1.

At the time, Biles had revealed she was suffering from the “twisties,” which causes gymnasts to lose track of their position while in midair.

The follow-up announcement that came with her exit was that she also wouldn’t be competing in the individual all-around final.

Simone Biles Marries Jonathan Owens

Back in April, Biles tied the knot with her beau, Jonathan Owens, which she later announced in a post shared on her Instagram page.

“I do  officially owens ,” she wrote. Biles included a carousel of behind-the-scenes photos from their special day, including one of the couple holding hands and smiling from ear to ear after exchanging their vows.

Biles and Owens went on to have their wedding ceremony with 140 guests in tow at a private property in Cabo San Lucas the following month.

The pair first crossed paths back in 2019, but it wasn’t until 2020 when they matched on the celebrity dating app Raya at the start of the pandemic.

The most decorated gymnast ever is wearing “cozy” looks from Athleta’s Holiday Collection this winter, while making room in her schedule for plenty of time with her family, she tells PEOPLE

Simone Biles is keeping her holiday season “festive and fun” as she eyes an exciting year ahead.

In an interview with PEOPLE in conjunction with Athleta’s Holiday 2023 Collection campaign, the seven-time Olympic medalist says she’s thankful for all of her accomplishments in 2023 — including winning the gold medal in the women’s all-around final at the World Championships in October — on the heels of a two-year break from the international side of the sport.

“It honestly feels amazing to return to competition, I never thought I would compete again so this is a blessing,” Biles, 26, tells PEOPLE. “My favorite moment has been competing alongside my WCC teammates.”

And whether she is cheering on her fellow gymnasts or getting yet another skill named after her — the fearsome Yurchenko double pike was renamed the “Biles II” after the G.O.A.T. successfully landed it at worlds — the most-decorated athlete in the history of gymnastics is also passionate about what she wears inside and outside of the gym.

That’s where her two-year-plus partnership with the athletic-wear company comes into play, she says.

“Ever since I joined forces with Athleta back in 2021, it has been incredibly meaningful,” Biles tells PEOPLE. “This campaign is so special because it focuses on me as a person and not just as an athlete. The campaign ethos is ‘No Time Like the Present’ which is so important to think about this time of year.”

She adds, “The holidays can be hectic but this is a reminder to slow down, be present and really take in this special time of year.”

For Biles’ part, that means spending plenty of time with family — including her husband Green Bay Packers safety Jonathan Owens — and her beloved dogs.

“Our lives can get so busy, so I plan on prioritizing self compassion and daily well-being by getting great sleep, resting when I need to, and surrounding myself with people that lift me up — family, friends, and of course, my dogs!” she says.

On Instagram, Biles has proven she is a fan of dressing for the occasion — whether it’s a frigid game at Lambeau Field or a night out with the girls.

All of which means she has a few tips to keep in mind when dressing for the season.

“Keep it festive and fun but keep it comfortable!” she says. “You want to enjoy the moment and not be distracted by your outfit. I love to take a piece I know and feel confident in and change it up with new accessories to give it new life.”

As for the new collection, which spans cozy leggings to shiny athletic bras to a form-fitting bodysuit, Biles is on board.

The US gymnast took her gold medal tally at the World Gymnastics Championships to three on Sunday, solidifying her remarkable return after two years out. Her journey back is a story of incredible determination.

Simone Biles is already considered the greatest gymnast ever. Now, with her third Olympic Games on the horizon, she is cementing her status as one of the greatest athletes ever.

At the World Artistic Gymnastic Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, the 26-year-old helped the US win gold in the team final and two days after that, won gold in the individual all-round. Finally, on Sunday, she claimed gold on balance beam, a dazzling routine earning her 14.800 points and a 22nd world gymnastics title overall.

She secured qualification for the final rounds by becoming the first-ever woman to land the

“Yurchenko double pike vault” at an international competition, although she ultimately had to settle for silver on the vault behind Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade after slipping on her trademark “Yurchenko.”

Nevertheless, Biles is already the most decorated gymnast of all time with an astounding 36 medals across world championships and the Olympics.

‘She could have died’

These achievements alone would be remarkable enough, but in the context of Biles’ past few years they are all the more incredible.

At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Biles withdrew from the individual all-around due to a case of the twisties, adding she needed to protect her mental health.

The twisties are a very unsettling sensation of effectively losing your air sense, but is quite common for athletes in acrobatic sports.

“It’s extremely terrifying to lose it. It’s like driving in the dark in a snow storm and losing sense of where the road is,” sports psychologist Carlin Anderson told DW. “It’s particularly the case with Simone [Biles] who is doing such dangerous skills and acrobatics. She really could die — that’s how serious it is.”

Anderson is the director of sport psychology at the University of Minnesota and founder of Premier Sport Psychology, a leading sport and performance psychology consulting group. Anderson, a former gymnast, has worked with US Olympic teams and specializes in handling mental blocks and performance anxiety in acrobatic sports.

“I work with lots of acrobatic athletes and the number one concern presented to me is mental blocking, losing their air sense. It varies how it impacts people, but there’s always that component of reworking the skill,” Anderson explains.

“In acrobatic sports, you’re feeling your way through a skill. It happens too quickly to think about it. It takes split seconds, like when you slam on the brakes in the car, you’re doing it automatically. Your body feels the right timing, when to twist and when to open.”

Without that, the situation becomes scary and the road back a long one.

“You need to rework the skill, often into soft mats, backtrack a bit and work on a component of the skill without twisting, slowly working your way back to safety,” Anderson explains.

“It can take returning to a rudimentary way of how they first learned the skill, and going back to the progression ladder of training to get back to feeling where they are in the air. Most athletes will have it happen, just not in a moment like that.”

Biles also endured other struggles

Biles is no stranger to facing situations that most do not.

The 26-year-old is a survivor of abuse, a former patient of Larry Nassar, the disgraced US team doctor now serving life imprisonment for sexual assault of underage gymnasts. Biles is also an American Black woman from a country embroiled in a racial reckoning, with women still fighting for equality.

In short, it was no surprise to hear her admit this summer in response to her fans on Instagram that she has needed a lot of help to get herself back on her feet, let alone ready to compete again.

“Lots of therapy, I go once a week for almost two hours,” Biles shared. “I’ve had so much trauma, so being able to work on some of the traumas and work on healing is a blessing.”

A return for the ages

“It’s incredible,” Anderson said of Biles’ comeback. “A lot of other elite athletes have come forward with their mental health issues, but when they are so intense that you have to step away from the middle of an Olympic Games, it’s a big ask to return at the same level.”

“We’re witnessing something extremely rare, something that may not ever come around again,” Anderson said of Biles’ return to form.

Anderson believes Biles looks better than ever as a gymnast, but that her return to the floor let alone the top of the podium is game-changing.

“She has played a contributing role to the entire landscape of mental health in sport being appreciated as a normal part of life and that athletes are people too who have lives and trauma and anxiety,” Anderson says. “But they can also be the GOAT too,” she adds, referring to the acronym “greatest of all time,” one often associated with Biles.

Paris awaits

And so Biles’ return to the floor let alone to form is really rather remarkable.

Most people would struggle to return to everyday life after just one of the traumas Biles has endured, but for the 26-year-old to be back to her professional best despite all that she has faced is just as amazing as her gymnastic ability.

After a two-year hiatus from the sport, Biles has already won in the US, and now at the Worlds in Belgium. She has quickly returned to the top of her game and the Olympics in Paris next year loom as the final chapter to an incredible comeback story.

Biles is a champion of her sport,  a pioneer for good mental health and a role model for Black women everywhere. Her return to the mat ranks as one of the greatest comebacks ever for a person and a gymnast.

Olympic gymnast Simone Biles is embracing the holiday spirit, as evident in her recent Instagram post. The 26-year-old shared pictures donning a festive red leotard with intricate gold detailing, featuring shiny straps and a detailed gold band around the midsection.

The leotard, a familiar outfit for Biles who has represented the United States in multiple Olympic Games and World Championships, perfectly complements the holiday season.

With her name stitched in gold thread at the hip, Biles brings a personal touch to the gymnastics fashion, hinting at more patriotic ensembles in the future.

Happy for her husband

Biles celebrated her husband Jonathan Owens‘ first NFL touchdown during the Green Bay Packers‘ Thanksgiving win against the Detroit Lions.

Owens, a safety for the Packers, scored after a fumble from Lions quarterback Jared Goff, giving the Packers an unexpected lead. Biles expressed her excitement on social media

The couple, mostly in a long-distance relationship due to their sports careers, has been supportive of each other’s achievements. Biles aims to compete in the Paris Olympics next year, continuing her legacy as the most decorated gymnast in history.

Olympic gymnast Simone Biles is embracing the holiday spirit, as evident in her recent Instagram post. The 26-year-old shared pictures donning a festive red leotard with intricate gold detailing, featuring shiny straps and a detailed gold band around the midsection.

The leotard, a familiar outfit for Biles who has represented the United States in multiple Olympic Games and World Championships, perfectly complements the holiday season.VV

With her name stitched in gold thread at the hip, Biles brings a personal touch to the gymnastics fashion, hinting at more patriotic ensembles in the future.

Happy for her husband

Biles celebrated her husband Jonathan Owens‘ first NFL touchdown during the Green Bay Packers‘ Thanksgiving win against the Detroit Lions.

Owens, a safety for the Packers, scored after a fumble from Lions quarterback Jared Goff, giving the Packers an unexpected lead. Biles expressed her excitement on social media

The couple, mostly in a long-distance relationship due to their sports careers, has been supportive of each other’s achievements. Biles aims to compete in the Paris Olympics next year, continuing her legacy as the most decorated gymnast in history.