Iowa Gymnastics Investigation Is Reminiscent of Simone Biles’ Stealing and Starvation Days

Iowa Athletics is investigating the women’s gymnastics program after the team and staff raised concerns about the behavior of their head coach, Larissa Libby. She has been on paid administrative leave ever since so as to ensure a transparent and uninterrupted review of the latter issues.

The American gymnastics icon Simone Biles also fell prey to similar circumstances in the early stages of her career, and in 2021, she threw it back to the time when she was compelled to steal food from the cafeteria due to the strict rules. Apart from being one of the most decorated gymnasts in history, the athlete is also known for never backing down from expressing her convictions on things that she is sure about. The shocking news was doing the rounds on the internet, leaving the online and gymnastics communities stunned.

When Simone Biles dropped a bombshell

As per the reports from the Independent, Biles said that she used to pilfer food from the camp cafeterias because of the limited food being served to the athletes. Remembering her time at Karolyi Ranch in Texas, where she used to brush up on her gymnastics routines since the age of 12, she added that the food quantity was closely monitored, so she and the fellow athletes had to steal from the canteen. “I feel like we can’t really get in trouble for this. But, like, there would have been nights where we would, like, break into the cafeteria and go get food,” the Ohio native had said in her statement.

She also added that she never opened up to anyone about it and that the athletes used to get harassed for their weight and were misled about sustaining injuries. Furthermore, players’ bags were also searched on a daily basis for food, which speaks to the volume of strictness of the rules back then. However, in the later stages of her career, Simone Biles ate whatever she felt like eating while climbing the steps of success, one after the other.

A taste of her culinary choices

In a statement given to Women’s Health, the seven-time Olympic medalist said that she does not think much about diet and eats as per her cravings. “I do not track anything. I eat what I feel good with and try not to overeat or stuff myself because I’m always at the gym; I just eat what I know I can and should,” is what she said in her statement about food choices.

She has found a common ground between her health and food, and she has the idea of “when” and “how much,” which makes her not stress much about eating. With all that in place, Simone Biles will be appearing in her third Olympics in Paris in July, and her recent performances have built anticipation amongst the fans, and they must be impatient to see their star shining brightly on the gymnastics turf.

Read More: What Does Olympic Champion, Simone Biles Eat in a Day?