Simone Biles's Real Name: Simone Arianne Biles

Quick answer: The gymnast is known professionally as Simone Biles. Britannica and the Ohio History Connection independently give the full name Simone Arianne Biles and date her birth to March 14, 1997, in Columbus, Ohio.

Real name and early life

Independent publishers support the documented full name Simone Arianne Biles. Britannica dates the birth to March 14, 1997, in Columbus, Ohio, and says she grew up in Spring, Texas, in the Houston metropolitan area, after she and her sister were adopted by their grandparents. The Ohio History Connection independently gives the same full name, date, and Columbus birthplace, and says she and her younger sister, Adria, were adopted at a young age by their parents Ron and Nellie and grew up near Houston in Spring, Texas. USA Gymnastics independently lists Columbus, Ohio, as the birthplace and Spring, Texas, as the hometown. Britannica and the Ohio History Connection both say she became interested in gymnastics at age six during a field trip to Bannon Gymnastix and later trained there under Aimee Boorman.

Career highlights

Britannica says she won the all-around title at her first world championships in 2013, becoming the first African American woman to claim that title, and later added further world all-around titles in 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, and 2023. At the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the same account says, she won gold in the team event, the individual all-around, floor exercise, and vault, plus bronze on balance beam. Olympedia independently records those five Rio medals. At the 2020 Games in Tokyo, delayed to 2021, Britannica says she withdrew from several finals after a vault attempt and later returned to win bronze on balance beam; Olympedia independently lists team silver and beam bronze in Tokyo. In Paris in 2024, Britannica says she won team gold, a second individual all-around gold, vault gold, and floor silver. USA Gymnastics, in an August 5, 2024, report, independently says the floor silver was her 11th career Olympic medal. Olympedia independently tallies seven gold, two silver, and two bronze medals, for a total of 11. Britannica also records the 2016 memoir Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance, written with Michelle Burford, and a 2022 Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Name notes for searchers

People looking up Simone Biles or Simone Arianne Biles are looking for the same gymnast. Britannica and the Ohio History Connection support the full name used in the title.