Simone Arianne Biles Owens (née Biles; born March 14, 1997) is an American artistic gymnast. Her 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals make her the most decorated gymnast in history. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest gymnasts of all time, and one of the greatest female athletes in history. With 11 Olympic medals, she is tied with Věra Čáslavská as the second-most decorated female Olympic gymnast behind Larisa Latynina, and has the most Olympic medals earned by a U.S. gymnast.
At the Olympic Games, Biles is a two-time gold medalist in the individual all-around (2016, 2024). She is also a two-time champion on vault (2016, 2024), the 2016 champion and 2024 silver medalist on floor exercise, and a two-time bronze medalist on balance beam (2016, 2020). Biles led the gold medal-winning U.S. teams in 2016, dubbed the "Final Five," and in 2024, dubbed the "Golden Girls". At the 2020 Summer Olympics, where she was favored to win at least four of the six available gold medals, she withdrew from most of the competition after the qualification round due to "the twisties", a temporary loss of proprioception while performing twisting elements. She won a silver medal with the U.S. team nicknamed the "Fighting Four".
Biles is the most-decorated gymnast of the World Championships, with 30 medals, all but seven gold. She is a six-time all-around champion (2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2023), six-time floor exercise champion (2013–2015, 2018–2019, 2023), and four-time balance beam champion (2014–2015, 2019, 2023), all record totals. She is also a two-time vault champion (2018–2019) and a member of a record five gold-medal-winning U.S. teams (2014–2015, 2018–2019, 2023). She is also a four-time silver medalist (2013–2014 and 2023 on vault, 2018 on uneven bars) and a three-time bronze medalist (2015 on vault, 2013 and 2018 on balance beam).
Domestically, Biles has won a record nine U.S. national all-around championships (2013–2016, 2018–2019, 2021, 2023–2024); in 2024, she became the oldest female gymnast to win the title. She is a seven-time champion on vault, balance beam, and floor exercise; a two-time uneven bars champion; and the only woman to win all five gold medals in a single championships twice (2018, 2024).
Biles is the sixth woman to win an individual all-around title at both the Olympics and the World Championships; she is the first since Lilia Podkopayeva in 1996 to hold both titles simultaneously. She is the tenth woman and first American woman to win a World medal on every event, and the first woman since Daniela Silivaș in 1988 to win a medal on every event at a single Olympics or World Championships. Biles is the originator of the most difficult skill on women's vault, balance beam, and floor exercise; so far, she is the only gymnast to attempt them.
In 2022, President Joe Biden awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2023, she won her eighth U.S. Gymnastics title, breaking the 90-year-old record held by Alfred Jochim. Biles has won the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year four times (2017, 2019, 2020, 2025) and Comeback of the Year once (2024).
Прочитајте више...14. март 1997. је био петак под знаком звездице ♓. Био је 72 дан у години. Председник Сједињених Држава је био William J. (Bill) Clinton.
Ако сте рођени на данашњи дан, имате 29 година. Ваш последњи рођендан је био субота, 14. март 2026., пре 80 дана. Ваш следећи рођендан је недеља, 14. март 2027., за 284 дана. Живели сте 10.672 дана, или око 256.137 сати, или око 15.368.226 минута, или око 922.093.560 секунди.
Date: 15 March 1997
WMX Technologies Inc will pay its former chief exec, Phillip Rooney, $2.5 million a year until 2002; he resigned on Feb 17 as pres and chief exec, as some shareholders were calling for his ouster (S)
Date: 15 March 1997
By DOUGLAS JEHL
Series of attacks that have left 23 civilians dead undermine Egyptian Government's claim to victory in war against Islamic militants; many of those massacred were Coptic Christians, who are about ten percent of population and have long suffered persecution; Islamic militants have waged violent campaign against Governnment for five years; graph showing numbers killed in attacks and Government countermeasures; map (S)
Date: 15 March 1997
By TOM FRIEND
University of North Carolina-Charlotte defeats Georgetown, 79-67, in opening round of West Regional of NCAA basketball tournament, Tucson, Arizona; Wake Forest defeats St Mary's, 68-46; Stanford defeats Oklahoma, 80-67; Utah defeats Navy, 75-61 (M)
Date: 15 March 1997
By KEVIN SACK
FBI locates seven of nine people shown in newly-released photos taken near scene of bombing at Atlanta Olympics last summer; none are considered suspects (S)
Date: 15 March 1997
Phonetel Technologies Inc says it agreed to acquire Communications Central Inc for about $12.85 a share, or about $165 million in cash and debt (S)
Date: 15 March 1997
Orlando Pace, offensive tackle who is college football's top-rated player, performs in series of agility drills for New York Jets; Jets have not said if they will take Pace as their overall Number 1 draft pick (S)
Date: 15 March 1997
Systems of Excellence Inc files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, just weeks after its former chmn, Charles O Huttoe, was sentenced to 46 months in prison after pleading guilty to charges of securities fraud and money laundering (S)
Date: 15 March 1997
By DAVID E. SANGER
Carl H Lindner's extremely generous contributions to both Democratic and Republican politicians are reviewed as cautionary tale of how big spending does not always secure results; Lindner is head of American Financial Corp and Chiquita Bananas empire, and has pressed for punishment of Europe for arcane restrictions that cut out Latin American bananas in favor of those grown in Europe or former colonies; World Trade Organization is set to rule in case, which Clinton Administration has pressed on Chiquita's behalf, but donations have yet to bring about sanctions (M)
Date: 15 March 1997
By SARAH KERSHAW
Dr Carl Lichtman, 50-year-old Ridgewood, NJ, psychologist convicted of swindling nearly $3 million from health insurance companies, is sentenced to five-and-one-half years in prison; is also ordered to pay $2.8 million in restitution to insurance companies; he masterminded scheme involving at least 17 accomplices (S) (New Jersey Daily Briefing)
Date: 15 March 1997
By MALCOLM MORAN
Interview with University of North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith, who is nearing record 877th victory of 36-year career (M)