Career Timeline of Simone Biles: Major Achievements and Milestones

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Simone Biles made an impact.

Simone Biles is an American artistic gymnast, renowned as one of the greatest of all time. With a combined total of 41 Olympic and World Championship medals, she holds the record for the most decorated gymnast in history. At the Olympics, she is tied for the second-most decorated female gymnast. Her skills and achievements have solidified her status as a sporting icon.

Sections (6)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Legacy & Impact

1958: Latynina and Shakhlin win most gold medals

In 1958, Larisa Latynina and Boris Shakhlin accomplished the record of most gold medals won at a single World Championships.

1987: Elena Shushunova wins medals on every event

In 1987, Elena Shushunova became the first gymnast from any country since to win a medal on every event at a single World Championships.

July 1, 2011: Elite Gymnastics Career Debut

On July 1, 2011, Simone Biles began her elite gymnastics career at age 14 at the 2011 American Classic in Houston, where she placed third all-around, first on vault and balance beam, fourth on floor exercise, and eighth on uneven bars.

2012: U.S. Classic Achievements

In 2012, Gabby Douglas won the Olympic all-around champion and Aly Raisman won the Olympic beam bronze medal.

2012: USA Gymnastics National Championships and U.S. Classic

In 2012, Simone Biles competed at the USA Gymnastics National Championships and the U.S. Classic in Chicago. She finished first all-around and on vault, second on floor exercise, and sixth on balance beam at the U.S Classic. She finished third all-around, first on vault, and sixth on uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise at the National Championships. She was named to the U.S. Junior National Team.

2012: American Classic

In 2012, Simone Biles's first meet was the American Classic in Huntsville, Texas. She placed first all-around and on vault, tied for second on floor exercise, placed third on balance beam, and fourth on uneven bars.

2013: Kyla Ross higher single-day all-around score than Biles

In 2013, Kyla Ross posted a higher single-day all-around score than Simone Biles, the first time anyone had done so since then.

2013: World Championships Achievements

In 2013, Simone Biles became the individual all-around champion and floor exercise champion at the World Championships. She also won a bronze medal on the balance beam.

2013: City of Jesolo Trophy and International Tri-Meet

In 2013, Simone Biles competed at the City of Jesolo Trophy in Italy, where she won the all-around, vault, balance beam, and floor exercise titles. She also competed at an international tri-meet in Chemnitz, Germany, where the U.S. won the team gold medal, and Biles won the vault, balance beam, and floor titles.

2013: U.S. National All-Around Championship

In 2013, Simone Biles won the United States national all-around championship.

2013: Senior International Debut

In March 2013, Simone Biles made her senior international debut at the American Cup, a FIG World Cup event. She finished second behind her teammate, Katelyn Ohashi.

2014: Biles reintroduces aerial cartwheel

In 2014, Simone Biles had not performed the aerial cartwheel since then, but reintroduced it into her routine following shaky performances.

2014: Injury and Return to Competition

In 2014, Simone Biles missed the start of the season due to injury, sitting out the AT&T American Cup and the Pacific Rim Championships. She returned at the U.S. Classic in Chicago, winning the all-around and taking first place on vault, beam, and floor. She also repeated as national all-around champion at the USA Gymnastics National Championships.

2014: World Championships Achievements

In 2014, Simone Biles was the all-around champion and balance beam champion at the World Championships. She was also a member of the gold medal-winning United States team.

2014: World Artistic Gymnastics Championships

On September 17, 2014, Simone Biles competed at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Nanning, China. She led the United States to its second consecutive world team championship and won her second consecutive world all-around title. She secured a silver medal in the vault competition and won gold medals in the balance beam and floor exercise finals.

July 2015: Signing with Octagon sports agency

In July 2015, Simone Biles signed with the Octagon sports agency, which also markets fellow American gymnast Aly Raisman and Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps.

July 29, 2015: Turning Professional

On July 29, 2015, Simone Biles announced her decision to turn professional, forfeiting her NCAA eligibility to compete for UCLA.

November 2015: Sponsorship by Nike

In November 2015, Simone Biles announced her sponsorship by Nike.

November 23, 2015: Deal with GK Elite Sportswear

On November 23, 2015, Simone Biles signed a deal to allow GK Elite Sportswear to sell a line of leotards bearing her name.

December 2015: Team USA Female Olympic Athlete of the Year

In December 2015, Simone Biles was named Team USA Female Olympic Athlete of the Year, making her the fourth gymnast to win the honor.

2015: AT&T American Cup and City of Jesolo Trophy

In 2015, Simone Biles competed at the AT&T American Cup at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, placing first. She was also nominated for the James E. Sullivan Award and won the all-around title at the City of Jesolo Trophy.

2015: 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships

In 2015, Simone Biles was selected to represent the United States at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. She qualified in first place in multiple events and helped the U.S. team win their third consecutive gold medal. Despite performing below her usual standard in the all-around final, Biles secured the title, becoming the first woman to win three consecutive all-around titles in World Gymnastics Championships history. She also won bronze on vault and retained her world titles on balance beam and floor exercise, bringing her total World Championships medal count to 14.

2015: World Championships Achievements

In 2015, Simone Biles was the all-around champion and floor exercise champion at the World Championships. She was also a member of the gold medal-winning United States team.

2015: Third all-around national title

In 2015, Simone Biles won her third all-around national title, becoming only the second woman ever to accomplish this feat, following Kim Zmeskal's achievement 23 years prior.

August 2016: Kellogg's Special Berries Gold Medal Edition

In August 2016, Kellogg's put the Final Five's picture on the Gold Medal Edition of Special berries; the back of the box showed Biles with one of her Rio gold medals.

September 2016: Spokesperson for Mattress Firm's program

In September 2016, Simone Biles became a spokesperson for Mattress Firm's program of supporting foster homes.

December 2016: Sponsorship of USS Enterprise

In December 2016, Simone Biles was chosen as one of the sponsors of the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, alongside Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Katie Ledecky. They are the first Olympians to be given this honor.

2016: Biles Shaky Performances at the Summer Olympics

Due to Biles shaky performances in the event finals at the 2016 Summer Olympics, Biles and Landi removed inconsistent skills including the Barani, front pike, and front tuck saltos, replacing them with skills such as an aerial cartwheel (which Biles had not performed since 2014) and introducing the upgraded Biles dismount.

2016: Summer Olympics

In 2016, Simone Biles planned to attend the Summer Olympics after deferring enrollment from UCLA.

2016: Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year and Champion of Champions

In 2016, Simone Biles was named Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year for the first time in her career and also named international female Champion of Champions by L'Équipe.

2016: U.S. National All-Around Championship

In 2016, Simone Biles won the United States national all-around championship.

2016: Co-wrote autobiography "Courage to Soar"

In 2016, after the Rio Games, Simone Biles co-wrote an autobiography with journalist Michelle Burford called Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance, with the intention to inspire readers to pursue their dreams.

Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance

Check it on Amazon

2016: Olympic Games Achievements

In 2016, at the Olympic Games, Simone Biles won gold medals in the individual all-around and vault. She was also the champion on floor exercise. Additionally, she won a bronze medal on the balance beam and led the United States team, known as the "Final Five," to a gold medal.

2016: 2016 U.S. National Championships

In 2016, at the U.S. National Championships, Simone Biles won the all-around title by a significant margin of 3.9 points over Aly Raisman. She won gold medals on vault, floor exercise, and balance beam, and placed fourth on uneven bars.

2016: Women's Qualification at the 2016 Summer Olympics

On August 7, 2016, Simone Biles competed in the Women's Qualification at the 2016 Summer Olympics, helping the U.S. team qualify in first place to the final with a score of 185.238. She also qualified as the top gymnast in the all-around, vault, balance beam, and floor exercise individual finals.

2016: Named to 2016 Rio Summer Olympics team

On July 10, 2016, Simone Biles was officially named to the team that would represent the United States at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.

2018: Biles Shaky Performances at the World Championships

Due to Biles shaky performances in the event finals at the 2018 World Championships, Biles and Landi removed inconsistent skills including the Barani, front pike, and front tuck saltos, replacing them with skills such as an aerial cartwheel (which Biles had not performed since 2014) and introducing the upgraded Biles dismount.

2018: International female Champion of Champions by L'Équipe

In 2018, Simone Biles was named international female Champion of Champions by L'Équipe for the third time in her career.

2018: World Championships Achievements

In 2018, Simone Biles was the all-around champion, floor exercise champion and vault champion at the World Championships. She was also a member of the gold medal-winning United States team.

2018: U.S. National All-Around Championship

In 2018, Simone Biles won the United States national all-around championship.

2018: Collaboration with Caboodles

In 2018, Simone Biles worked with Caboodles to create and market products for women with active lifestyles.

2018: 2018 National Championships

In August 2018, at the National Championships, Simone Biles placed first in every event over the two days of competition, becoming the first woman to do so since 1994. Biles won the all-around title, setting a record for the most national all-around titles with five. Her 60.100 all-around score from the first day of competition was the first score recorded above 60 since her victory at the 2016 Olympics.

2018: World Team Selection Camp

In October 2018, Simone Biles participated in the World Team Selection Camp, placing first in the all-around, vault, and floor exercise. She also debuted a new vault, which was later named the Biles. She was then named to the team to compete at the 2018 World Championships.

2019: Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year and Champion of Champions

In 2019, Simone Biles was named Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year for the second time in her career and also named international female Champion of Champions by L'Équipe.

2019: World Championships Achievements

In 2019, Simone Biles was the all-around champion, floor exercise champion, balance beam champion and vault champion at the World Championships. She was also a member of the gold medal-winning United States team.

2019: U.S. National All-Around Championship

In 2019, Simone Biles won the United States national all-around championship.

2020: 2020 Summer Olympics

At the 2020 Summer Olympics, Simone Biles withdrew from most of the competition after the qualification round, citing "the twisties". Despite this, she secured a silver medal with the United States team, known as the "Fighting Four".

April 2021: Apparel Sponsorship with Athleta

In April 2021, Simone Biles announced that she was leaving Nike for a new apparel sponsorship with the Gap's Athleta brand.

May 2021: First Woman to Complete Yurchenko Double Piked

In May 2021, Simone Biles became the first woman to complete a Yurchenko double piked on the vault during competition.

July 28, 2021: Biles withdraws from the individual all-around competition

On July 28, 2021, Simone Biles withdrew from the finals of the individual all-around competition at the Olympics, citing mental health concerns.

August 2021: Biles competes at the 2020 Olympic Games

During August 2021, at the 2020 Olympic Games, Simone Biles qualified for the all-around final in first place, despite several mishaps during the qualifications.

2021: U.S. National All-Around Championship

In 2021, Simone Biles won the United States national all-around championship.

December 2023: Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year

In December 2023, Simone Biles was named Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year for the third time in her career (2016, 2019, 2023).

2023: Biles returns to competition

In 2023, Simone Biles returned to competition at the U.S. Classic, finishing first in the all-around with a score of 59.100, exactly five points ahead of runner-up Leanne Wong.

2023: Eighth U.S. Gymnastics Title

In 2023, Simone Biles secured her eighth U.S. Gymnastics title, surpassing the 90-year-old record previously held by Alfred Jochim.

2023: World Championships Achievements

In 2023, Simone Biles was the all-around champion, floor exercise champion, balance beam champion and was a member of the gold medal-winning United States team at the World Championships.

2023: U.S. National All-Around Championship

In 2023, Simone Biles won the United States national all-around championship.

2024: Biles submits new skill for uneven bars

Ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Simone Biles submitted a new skill for the code of points for the uneven bars, a Weiler kip with 1.5 pirouette, which would make her the only female gymnast to have a skill named on every apparatus. She ultimately did not compete the skill.

2024: U.S. National All-Around Championship

In 2024, Simone Biles won the United States national all-around championship, becoming the oldest female gymnast to ever win the title.

2024: Olympic Games Achievements

In 2024, at the Olympic Games, Simone Biles secured gold medals in both the individual all-around and vault. Additionally, she earned a silver medal in the floor exercise and led the United States team, known as the "Golden Girls", to a gold medal victory.