You might think you know everything about Simone Biles. After all, the 23-year-old—who holds the esteemed title of America’s most decorated gymnast—has been in the public eye since her senior international debut at the 2013 American Cup. However, there’s still plenty to be learned about Biles, who is currently in possession of 30 Olympic and World Championship medals: Read on to get to know the Vogue cover star a little better.
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She has a beloved (and extremely adorable) French bulldog named Lilo. Biles adopted the pup—who promptly racked up a plethora of Instagram followers—in 2018.
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Gymnastics is in her blood. Biles’s younger sister, Adria, is also a gymnast, and the two used to train together regularly.
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She has a very relatable fear of bees. When Biles was collecting a gold medal in the individual all-around at the 2014 World Gymnastics Championships in Nanning, China, a bee buzzed out of the bouquet she was holding. Biles tried to shake the bee off and ended up having to drop the flowers and run from the bee, all while the announcer just kept talking.
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She orders pizza after every gymnastics meet. “It doesn’t even matter if I don’t win a self-gold; after every meet, I have pizza. Pepperoni pizza,” she told ABC News.
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She’s fearless, even in the face of pain. Biles competed with a kidney stone at the 2018 World Gymnastics Championships in Doha, Qatar. (If you’ve ever had a kidney stone, you know they’re no joke.) “I’m trying not to move every time I do something just in case [the stone] moves,” Biles joked to USA Today, adding: “Then I also hear roller coasters might help kidney stones, and I’m like my own roller coaster out there.”
Simone Biles talks breakfast on the beach with Zac Efron, gold medals, and paparazzi: