From the age of 7 until shortly before her performance in which she won four gold medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Simone Biles was always accompanied and guided by a special person. Her coach, Aimee Boorman. When you think of Simone Biles, what comes to mind? Olympic gold? Gravity-defying flips? Pure brilliance? Well, according to her former coach, there’s a deeper, grittier side to the story—one filled with fiery determination, stubborn willpower, and moments that would make even the toughest coaches sweat. In this revealing deep dive, we unpack the real Simone Biles—the fierce competitor with a tough and unpredictable temperament that helped sculpt her into the greatest gymnast of all time.
During all these years, Simone did not always have good days. In fact, Aimee remembers her as one of her most challenging students and one who took time to find a balance. Undoubtedly passionate about the sport, Boorman told USA TODAY Sports, “and on any given day, if Simone didn’t have that passion and that love for gymnastics inside of her, she could be like, ‘I’m done. I’m gonna go run track.’ ” Like every girl and gymnast, she had fears to deal with. One of them was a mental block on her balance beam series. No matter what had happened the day before, Aimee would try to be nice to her so Simone wouldn’t think she was in trouble or had let her down.
Simone’s tough character
She also let it be known that Simone is not one to go into a corner and mentally go over her thoughts to concentrate: “She has to be there, completely relaxed, encouraging others. And when she gets the green light to compete, she says: Let’s play! For her, that concentration is a waste.” However, when someone so talented has to work so hard to achieve a goal, Simone was not easy to deal with: “It was very frustrating for her and she gave up easily. I can say she was incredibly dedicated. I can’t say she was a tireless worker,” said her Boorman.
At 16, Biles began training more frequently, but her adolescent, mischievous and defiant character brought more than a few headaches for Brooman: “Sometimes she would say, ‘Goodbye,’ and sometimes, ‘No, I’m sorry. I want to finish this. I’m just frustrated.’ But no matter what happened each day, we would move on.” Biles’ mental health. By the time she was 19, she had already touched the sky with her hands, winning three consecutive world titles. However, the pressure took its toll. This affected Biles’ performance, but Aimee knew that if she boosted her confidence and advanced her times, this would change. An advocate of rest, Aimee is confident that “if you take a day off and rest, you will come back stronger.” When Biles retired from the Olympics she was no longer her coach, but from her experience she knew that “the Olympics were not more important than her life.”
Simone Biles didn’t become the GOAT by playing it safe. Her former coach’s candid revelations show that her tough, unpredictable temperament was both her biggest challenge and her greatest gift. It wasn’t an easy road, but it was that fiery spirit that propelled her into the stratosphere of sports legends. Behind every gold medal was a storm she learned to tame—and ride all the way to history.
