“Was Short and Muscular”: 4ft 9″ Simone Biles Had to Train Harder Than Taller Gymnasts to Keep Herself Up in the Game

Simone Biles surprised the world when she won the gold medal in her debut World Championships. Since her professional debut, she has never looked back. The star gymnast took the sport of gymnastics to another level with her incredible skills. However, her journey of becoming the GOAT was not completed in a blink of an eye.

In a short career span, Simone won 25 World Championship medals and is often considered the most decorated gymnast in the history of the sport. Despite struggles with multiple injuries and mental health, the champion gymnast paved her way to the top. In her book ‘Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance,’ she has revealed her journey.

Simone Biles had to go through a rigorous routine

Simone published her book in 2016 right after the Rio Olympics. In the book, she has penned down a detailed memorandum of incidents from her life that shaped her into the person that she is at present. The Olympic gold medalist recalled an incident when she crashed on the mat during a competition.

After the incident, Simone overheard a coach’s comment on her lackluster performance. The coach believed that the reason for the crash was her weight. He mocked her and it affected Simone on a personal level.

Simone revealed it to her coach Aimee Boorman. Aimee revealed to Simone that it was her poor preparation that led to the crash. Simone, who is 4 feet 9 inches tall, was convinced that she had to train harder than taller gymnasts to keep herself up in the game because of her short and muscular body structure.

DIVE DEEPER: “Was Having a Full Blown Panic Attack”- Simone Biles Was Scared to Disappoint the World Before Her Olympic Debut – EssentiallySports

After trying to understand what the coach meant Aimee told Simone he was criticizing her weight but her lines. Speaking on that she wrote, “It was true I was short and muscular, which meant that, unlike long, lean gymnastics, I had to pay extra attention to my extensions and body shape to achieve the most graceful lines.”

Simone’s relationship with Aimee Boorman

Aimee Boorman was Simone’s coach since she was 8 years old. Aimee is an example of how a competent coach can help an athlete live up to their potential and exceed it. Boorman played a vital role in transforming Simone from an amateur to a professional gymnast. 

However, Simone announced that she had parted ways with her long-time mentor and coach after the Rio Olympics. Aimee coached Simone for 11 years and played a major role in shaping Simone’s career. The decision came as a result of Aimee and her family moving to Florida as her husband was offered a new job opportunity. Aimee revealed that she will always be Simone’s mentor.

WATCH THIS STORY: Simone Biles has Once Crowned the Undisputed Queen of Tom Holland’s Handstand Challenge

Simone is being coached by Laurent Landi and Cecile Canqueteau-Landi since 2017.