During the Opening Ceremony of the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games, three-time world heavyweight champ and boxing gold medalist in Rome 1960 Muhammad Ali lit the cauldron. This event at the Centennial Olympic Games was iconic for obvious reasons but also because it was 12 years after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and he was presented with a new gold medal after he lost the one he won in the 1960 Olympics in Rome. Nine months later, the world was presented a gift. Multiple Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles was born on March 4, 1997 in Columbus, Ohio.
Influenced by his spirit and two decades after the 1996 Games, Biles was among a host of Team USA Olympians to pay tribute to Ali. Ali was not only a sports phenomenon, he had a way with words. His wordplay is among the most quoted. One of his famous quotes, “If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it—then I can achieve it.” Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles has proven that giving the “extra 10 percent,” conceiving and believing you can achieve the highest title in gymnastics.
Much like Ali, gifted gymnast is the greatest of all time. #GirlPower #GOAT
The petite powerhouse, standing at 4 feet 8 inches tall, set a new record and created a legacy much like Ali and Michael Jordan. Aptly referenced by her retiring coach coach Marta Karolyi, Biles is “a force of nature.”
The Rio 2016 was Biles’ Olympic coming out party. She brings home a total of five Olympic medals – four Gold – Women’s Vault (15.966); Women’s Team All-Around (194.897); Women’s Floor Exercise (15.966); Women’s Individual All-Around (62.198); – and one Bronze Women’s Beam (14.733).
On Sunday night, August 21, 2016 the sports prodigy was the U.S. flag bearer at the Olympic Closing Ceremony in Rio de Janeiro.
