Simone Biles is often hailed as the greatest gymnast of all time, but her journey hasn’t come without its challenges, especially as a Black woman in a sport that still struggles with diversity and outdated attitudes. Throughout her career, Biles has faced some ugly incidents of racism that highlight these ongoing issues. One of the most notable moments occurred when she was just 16 years old at the World Gymnastics Championships.

In that moment, in gymnastics history, Biles became the African American woman to claim the all-around championship title; meanwhile, Carlotta Ferlito, from Italy, finished in 11th place. In the aftermath of the competition, Carlotta Ferlito’s controversial comments sparked a lot of discussion and controversy.

In a video interview that circulated on social media, Ferlito expressed her frustration with the results, implying that Biles’ success was attributed to her skin color rather than her remarkable talent. She even went as far as to say, “I told [teammate Vanessa Ferrari] that next time we should also paint our skin black so then we can win, too.”

This blatant racism caused quite a stir, leading to widespread criticism of Ferlito. While she did eventually apologize to Biles on Twitter. But at that time Biles, guided by her mother, Nellie, chose not to publicly comment on the situation. Instead, she focused on her own accomplishments and what she hoped to achieve in gymnastics.

The repercussions of Ferlito’s statements persisted beyond the incident and fueled ongoing discussions on racism within gymnastics. Even today, Vanessa Ferrari bore the brunt of the blame initially for her ties to Ferlito’s comments. But in 2021 Ferrari clarified it when she shared on X, saying, “This is a wrong accusation, it wasn’t me who said these things. she was a teammate of mine in 2013 she told a journalist. if you google you will see that it is not me. they are accusing me unfairly. Inquire!!!”.

Ferrari added, “I think you are confused, this accusation against me is wrong. it was not me who said that sentence but a teammate of mine, many years ago so before you accuse someone, be sure to know why you are accusing the wrong person and this is terrible.” In a show of support for her, Simone Biles stepped in to defend Vanessa Ferrari. She shared a story on Instagram, posting a screenshot of a message clarifying that Vanessa was not the one who made the racist comments.

In her caption, Biles wrote, “GUYS, PLEASE STOP LASHING OUT AT VANESSA. SHE HAS ALWAYS BEEN KIND TO TEAM USA AND ME. THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED YEARS AGO, AND IT WAS SOMEONE ELSE WHO SAID IT. I HOPE TO SEE YOU, VANESSA, AND GIVE YOU A FORMAL APOLOGY FOR EVERYONE LASHING OUT. UNTIL THEN, GOOD LUCK TO YOU AND ITALY! SEE YOU AROUND!” But why does this topic circulate again?

Renewed conversations on racism in gymnastics by Simone Biles

The topic of racism in gymnastics is making headlines again following Vanessa Ferrari’s decision to retire due to injuries that prevented her from participating in the Paris Olympics. Ferrari achieved a milestone as Italy’s first Olympic gymnastics medalist, and she initially had aspirations to conclude her career at the Paris Games following her remarkable silver medal win in Tokyo.

Looking back on Ferrari’s career, Ferrari expressed disappointment at not being able to end it on her own terms, saying, “I wanted Paris to be the end, but I’m sorry it wasn’t.” Her retirement not only marks the conclusion of her journey but also brings important discussions about racism in gymnastics back into focus, especially concerning Simone Biles.

Simone Biles acknowledged that racism is still an everyday issue in sports, noting that many Black athletes have faced similar challenges throughout their careers. Despite this, she emphasized the need to keep pushing forward for the younger generation who look up to them. “You can strive for greatness, and you can be great,” she said, reminding everyone that it doesn’t matter what you look like.