Simone Biles's resilience

The Olympic gold medalist comeback is an inspiration. vox.com/culture CULTURE   It’s easy to quantify [Simone Biles’s greatness]( by what she’s won. After nabbing the gold in the team event final in Paris, she now has five Olympic gold medals and 30 World Championship medals since starting her career in 2013 — she is arguably the greatest athlete in any sport. Biles also has the chance to add to her massive medal haul in the individual all-around and event finals this week. That domination and talent has often eclipsed what kind of person Simone Biles is, and it wasn’t until the [2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo]( that we really began to understand her. At those Games, Biles suffered a mental block known as the “twisties,” which resulted in her withdrawal from multiple events. She’s since revealed that she was dealing with untreated stress and trauma, some of which stemmed from sexual abuse at the hands of Larry Nassar, against whom she [testified in September 2021](. After Tokyo, Biles understandably [took time away]( from gymnastics and has drawn attention to the [importance of mental health]( and the [physical health]( of girls in the sport. Biles’s physical and emotional comeback has made her and Team USA’s win in Paris even greater. And in doing so, she’s created a legacy that’s equal parts triumph and resiliency, one that will show her to be one of the greatest athletes we’ve ever witnessed. —Alex Abad-Santos]( senior correspondent Simone Biles’s legacy is equal parts dominance and resilience [simone biles holding an American flag]( Loic Venance/AFP via Getty Images Simone Biles and Team USA are golden again. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Team USA won the gold medal in the team final. Biles, along with teammates Suni Lee, Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, and Hezly Rivera, compiled a score of 171.296 and defeated Italy (165.494) and Brazil (164.497) who won silver and bronze. This is Biles’s fifth Olympic gold medal, bringing her to eight Olympic medals in total over three Olympics. Biles’s medal haul, along with her 30 world championship medals — 23 of which were golds — solidifies her as the greatest gymnast that we’ve ever seen and arguably the most dominant athlete in all of sports. Her legacy is punctuated by her power, consistency, and winning record, but it’s her return to the Olympics and gymnastics in general that’s truly remarkable. [Read the full story »]( J.D. Vance didn’t have sex with a couch. But he’s still extremely weird. The rumors were easy to believe, especially when the potential VP has such terrible ideas about sex. [Read the full story »]( Think like an Olympian More of a mathlete than an athlete? A gold medal mindset can help you do almost anything better. [Read the full story »](   [Become a Vox Member]( Support our journalism — become a Vox Member and you’ll get exclusive access to the newsroom with members-only perks including newsletters, bonus podcasts and videos, and more. [Join our community](   More good stuff to read today - [The short shelf-life of the White House tell-all]( - [From Sabrina Carpenter to “blush blindness,” why’s everyone wearing blush?]( - [What’s 2024’s “song of the summer”?]( - [How Marvel managed to upset Palestinian — and Israeli — fans]( - [The good, the bad, and the weird of the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony]( - [There’s a fantastic cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine’s post-credits scene](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( Manage your [email preferences]( or [unsubscribe](param=culture). If you value Vox’s unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring [contribution](. View our [Privacy Policy]( and our [Terms of Service](. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Floor 12, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved.