In the last few years because of the sporting rivalry of exceptionally good sportsmen and women, the phrase Greatest of all times (GOAT) has often been lost in interpretation and usage. Today, you can still see the fans of Cristiano Ronaldo referring to him as the GOAT of soccer. Even with the winning of 24 grand slam titles by Novak Djokovic, the die-hard fans of Serena Williams still stubbornly refer to her as the GOAT of tennis. In basketball, the divide and debate are getting more intense by the day. Older followers of the game feel it is sacrilegious to call Lebron James the GOAT of Basketball instead of Michael Jordan, while the younger generation who grew up in the internet age and experienced in full view the performances of Lebron believe the title rightfully belongs to him. Years ago, a similar debate ensued between the soccer legends Pele and Maradona. It took the intense and new rivalry of Messi and Ronaldo to shift the focus of the debate. The Gymnast Simone Biles recently showed the world how to cement your claim to GOATship and silence any discussion on Who’s Who for at least a lifetime.

Simone Biles was born in Columbus, Ohio on the 14th of March 1997 as the third child of four siblings. Her biological parents Kelvin Clemons and Shanon Biles were unable to care for them due to addiction related challenges. The four siblings experienced foster care until 2000, when Biles’ maternal grandfather, Ron Biles, and his second wife, Nellie Cayetano Biles stepped in and eventually adopted Simone and her sister Adria in 2003. In 2012, Biles started homeschooling, allowing her to focus on gymnastics and increase her training to 32 hours a week. At 14, Biles began her elite career at the 2011 American Classic in Houston. She finished third all-around – first on vault and balance beam, fourth on floor exercise, and eighth on uneven bars. Not long afterwards, Biles competed at the 2011 U.S. Classic in Chicago, Illinois, where she seemed to retrogress by finishing 20th all-around, fifth on balance beam and floor exercise.

In 2013, Biles competed at the USA Gymnastics National Championships, where she was crowned the National All-around Champion. In October 2023, Biles competed at the 2013 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, where she was crowned again as the World Champion. Biles competed in the Women’s Individual All-around and won the competition with a great margin and score of 60.216. Ten years later, after winning everything winnable from the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden to being the star of the Rio Olympics, and against gigantic odds from mental health challenges to “old age”, Biles returned to Antwerp, Belgium where her global dominance started to better her 2013 records. Biles has won everything to be won in Gymnastics – 37 total world and Olympic medals with 5 skills named after her. There are many lessons to draw from Simone Biles’ life and legacy. For me, the most instructive lesson is the need for children to grow in an environment where love and safety is guaranteed. In such an environment a wholesomely great life can be nurtured.

Ata Ukuta – Editor, Towncryyers