Page 18 - AT

A18 SPORTS
Friday 27 december 2019
Simone Soars: Biles named 2019 AP Female Athlete of the Year

By WILL GRAVES title she embraces — Biles
AP Sports Writer wore a goat-themed leo-
They're called "Simone tard during training at the
Things," a catchall phrase national championships
for the casual ease with in August — but also takes
which Simone Biles seems with a grain of salt, deter-
to soar through her sport mined to stay grounded
and her life. even as the hype around
The irony, of course, is that her grows. Yes, GOAT hap-
there's nothing casual or pens to be the acronym for
easy about it. Any of it. her planned post-Olympic
The greatest gymnast of all "Gold Over America Tour,"
time and 2019 Associated but ask her where the inspi-
Press Female Athlete of the ration came from and she
Year only makes it seem laughs and gives credit to
that way. a friend, Kevin, who came
Those jaw-dropping rou- up it in a group chat. It is
tines that are rewriting her both paying tribute to and
sport's code of points and winking at her status at the
redefining what can be same time.
done on the competition Biles has become well
floor? Borne from a mix of aware over the last three
natural talent, hard work years that her every word
and a splash of ego. This Oct. 13, 2019, file photo Simone Biles of the United States shows her five gold medals at the and action carries far
The 25 world championship Gymnastics World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. greater weight than she
medals, the most by any Associated Press ever imagined. Her most
gymnast ever? The result of impactful moment of 2019
a promise the 22-year-old might not have come dur-
made to herself when she ing a meet but sitting for
returned to competition in This Oct. 8, 2019, file photo an interview on the eve
shows Simone Biles of the U.S.
2017 after taking time off warming up on the uneven of winning her record sixth
following her golden run at bars during women's team fi- national title, when she
the 2016 Olympics. nal at the Gymnastics World fought back tears while
The stoicism and grace she Championships in Stuttgart, talking about how USA
has shown in becoming Germany. Gymnastics, the U.S. Olym-
an advocate for survivors Associated Press pic and Paralympic Com-
— herself included — and mittee and the FBI failed to
an agent for change in protect athletes during an
the wake of the Larry Nas- investigation into Nassar's
sar sexual abuse scandal In this Oct. 5, 2019, file photo, abusive behavior.
that's shaken USA Gymnas- Simone Biles, of the United The moment went viral, as
tics to its core? The byprod- States, performs on the floor most things surrounding her
uct of a conscious decision during qualifying sessions for tend to do these days.
to embrace the immense the Gymnastics World Cham- "I'm starting to realize it's
clout she carries. pionships in Stuttgart, Germa- not just the gymternet
"I realize now with the plat- ny. Associated Press anymore," Biles said, us-
form I have it will be power- ing the term for her sport's
ful if I speak up and speak dedicated fans. "It's an
for what I believe in," Biles overall thing. It's weird to
told The Associated Press. noe in a vote by AP mem- -- struggling to distill what This is both the blessing and get that kind of attention,
"It's an honor to speak for ber sports editors and AP they've witnessed into 280 the curse of making the but at the end of the day,
those that are less fortu- beat writers. Skiing star Mi- characters or fewer, with nearly impossible look tan- I feel gymnastics has been
nate. So if I can be a voice kaela Schiffrin placed third, whatever they settle on talizingly attainable. When overlooked in non-Olympic
for them in a positive man- with WNBA MVP Elena Del- typically followed by mul- Biles learned about the years. Yeah, it puts pressure
ner, then of course I'm go- la Donne fourth. Biles cap- tiple exclamation points FIG's decision, she vented on me. But I'm not trying to
ing to do whatever I can." tured the award in 2016 fol- and a goat emoji, a nod to on Twitter, her palpable think about all the attention
And it's that mission — com- lowing a showstopping per- Biles being considered the frustration highlighting the from the outside world."
bined with her otherworldly formance at the Rio de Ja- Greatest Of All Time. realness she's maintained The attention figures to only
skill and boundless charis- neiro Olympics, where she Her triple-twisting double- even as her first name has grow in the run-up to To-
ma — that's enabled Biles won five medals in all, four flip (the "triple double") at become synonymous with kyo, where she will attempt
to keep gymnastics in the of them gold. She spent the end of her first tumbling her sport's royalty. to become the first female
spotlight, a rarity for a sport most of the following 12 pass on floor exercise is a It can lead to a bit of a bal- gymnast in more than half
that typically retreats into months taking a break be- wondrous blur. Her double- ancing act. In some ways, a century to repeat as
the background once the fore returning to the gym in twisting double-flip beam she's still the kid from Texas Olympic champion. Her
Olympic flame goes out. the fall of 2017, saying she dismount (the "double dou- who just wants to hang out smiling face serves as the
She is the first gymnast to owed it to herself to mine ble") is so tough the Inter- with her boyfriend and her exclamation point at the
be named AP Female Ath- the depth of her talent. national Gymnastics Fed- dog and go to the grocery end of every television pro-
lete of the Year twice and Check social media follow- eration made the unusual story without being both- mo for the Summer Games.
the first to do it in a non- ing one of her routines and decision to downplay its ered. In other ways, she's Let it be known: The smile
Olympic year. you'll find people -- from value in an effort to deter trying to be respectful of is real. That might not have
Biles edged U.S. women's LeBron James to Michelle other gymnasts from even the world she's built. always been the case, but
soccer star Megan Rapi- Obama to Chrissy Teigen trying it. Take the GOAT thing. It's a is is now. q