Simone Biles made a powerful comeback to the sport of gymnastics, making history through not only her performance but also by sending a powerful message. Biles first made history by winning 10 world championship medals, the most ever attained by a female gymnast.
After a two-year hiatus following her victories at the 2016 Summer Olympics, Biles is using her platform to stand in solidarity with survivors of sexual abuse.
According to ESPN, the 21-year-old Olympian won her fifth U.S. women's gymnastics title on Sunday, August 19. Her ability to win has never been questioned as she’s won four gold medals at the 2016 games. However, two years later, the fact that she continues to push even further is impressive. Posting a two-day total of 119.850, she finishes more than six points ahead of reigning world champion Morgan Hurd. Biles is only the second woman to win nationals five times, following in the footsteps of Clara Schroth Lomady who grabbed six titles between 1945 and 1952.
Even more impressive than Biles' athleticism is her stance of solidarity with fellow sexual abuse victims of Larry Nassar. In January, the gymnast revealed that she was one of many victimized by former USA gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar.
Nassar has since been sentenced to up to 175 years on mass sexual assault charges, having abused over 150 women.
Biles designed the leotard she wore Sunday to pay homage to those affected by abuse. The light teal color choice being the designated color for survivors of sexual abuse.
"[The color] is for the survivors," Biles said. "I stand with all of them, and I think it's kind of special to unite."
Such solidarity comes after the USA Gymnastics president dropped the ball in their first extended comments referencing the situation since December 2017. President Katy Perry used her platform to talk around the fallout of the Nassar scandal, neither genuinely addressing the issues or doing anything special for survivors. Perry did, however, express that she envisions a day when the organization and the victims stand "side by side," according to ESPN.
Despite the lackluster response from the organization, Biles' dominance in the championship proved a special treat as she became the first woman to win all five golds at the national gymnastics championships since Dominique Dawes in 1994.
"It was shocking then [in '94], and it's shocking now, too," high-performance team coordinator Tom Forster said.
“I knew I was capable of [scoring this well], but I kind of thought I was going to be a nervous wreck and maybe fall apart,” the gold medalist said. “Going into these events, I know I kept telling my family like I don’t know if I’m going to be able to calm myself down the way I did before and handle the nerves, but so far, so good.”
This is just the beginning, boo.
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