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TOKYO, JAPAN – AUGUST 03: Simone Biles of Team United States poses with the bronze medal during the Women’s Balance Beam Final medal ceremony on day eleven of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Gymnastics Centre on August 03, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
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TOKYO, JAPAN – AUGUST 03: Simone Biles of Team United States poses with the bronze medal during the Women’s Balance Beam Final medal ceremony on day eleven of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Gymnastics Centre on August 03, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Olympic Gold medalist, Simone Biles, is well regarded as the greatest gymnast of all time. Not only the most dominant, but she is also the most decorated gymnast of all time.
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The American gymnast is the recipient of 32 Olympic and World Championship medals. Biles is the female gymnast with the most World all-around titles. With her charming moves and death-defying leaps, she often leaves fans spellbound.
Earlier this year, Glamour released a video of Biles on YouTube. The video is all about Biles debunking some misconceptions people have about gymnasts.
“I guess we all kind of retire around 22, 23”- Simone Biles
In the video, Biles can see answering questions and clearing the many misconceptions people have about gymnastics. Biles divided the replies into three categories: sports, lifestyle, and physique.
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TOKYO, JAPAN – AUGUST 03: Sunisa Lee and Simone Biles of Team United States look on during warm-ups prior to the Women’s Balance Beam Final on day eleven of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Gymnastics Centre on August 03, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Almost half of the assumptions fell under the ‘sports’ section, one of which read, “Gymnasts retire at an early age and have a short career.”
Responding to the same, Biles said, “That’s not technically true because we can do it whenever we go to college and get like NCAA scholarships. So, I guess we all kind of retire around 22, 23.”
Biles herself started doing gymnastics when she was 6 years old; currently, she is 24. It will be interesting to see whether Biles herself will continue or retire.
Biles’ reply to “Gymnastics is not a sport”
Among the misconceptions, someone added, “Gymnastics is not a sport.” Biles has encountered this assumption on several occasions. Refusing the assumption and defending her reaction, Biles said everybody tunes in to watch gymnastics, which makes it a sport at least.
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RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 15: Simone Biles of the United States competes in the Balance Beam Final on day 10 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Rio Olympic Arena on August 15, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)
“I hear this a lot. But I feel like every four years everybody tunes in to watch gymnastics. So, it’s gotta be a sport at least,” said Biles.
“Out of all the sports, gymnastics is probably the most competitive. Right now, I train 32 to 34 hours a week just to compete for about three or four minutes,” she added.
Certainly, gymnastics is not only competitive but extremely dangerous as well. One wrong move can even prove to be fatal for the athletes. Hence, they deserve all the credit and respect for overcoming the pressure and wowing fans with their skills.
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