When Did Simone Biles Start Gymnastics?

Fans commonly ask when Simone Biles started gymnastics given that many athletes in the sport begin very young. As you might suspect, Biles started gymnastics fairly early and trained throughout childhood before becoming the tour-de-force Olympic gold medalist she is today. Viewers who have watched Simone Biles Rising, the docuseries about the gymnast on Netflix, will know that she was adopted by her grandfather and his wife due to a difficult situation concerning her mother and father. Here’s what we know so far about how Biles began her gymnastics journey.

How did Simone Biles get into gymnastics?

Simone Biles started gymnastics when she went to Bannon’s Gymnastix during a daycare field trip at the age of 6. She began imitating other gymnasts in the class, and that’s when she was discovered by coach Aimee Boorman.

This is how Biles first got involved in the sport, according to her profile on the official USA Gymnastics website. Her bio also reveals that the gym, which is currently based in Houston, Texas, sent a letter requesting that she join tumbling or gymnastics classes.

According to Boorman in an interview with Olympics.com, Biles “walked into the gym already almost having figured out gymnastics.” She says that the gymnast had learned how to a back handspring by her brother in their backyard, despite not having any formal gymnastics training. At this early age, Biles “would just watch people do skills and go and try them.” Boorman retells a story where Biles watched a cheerleader perform a back tuck, said that she could do that, and then simply did the skill.

Later on, while Boorman taught Biles difficult skills just like other gymnasts by breaking them down, it “took her less time than the average person to put all the pieces together.” Her uncanny ability as a visual learner made it easier for her to figure out tricky skills at a faster pace. You can watch footage of Simone Biles performing at an early gymnastics competition on YouTube via NBC Sports.

Biles was also six years old when the gymnast was adopted by her grandfather, Ronald Biles, and his second wife, Nellie Biles. This was after her spending six to nine months in foster care before being able to live at their home in Spring, Texas.