Simone Biles Won Her 1st Gold after Sudden Exit — She Had to Defend Herself from People Shaming Her Hair

Simone Biles made her magnificent return to competitive gymnastics this weekend.
On her wedding day, she came up for herself when social media came for her “edges.”

Simone Biles is hands down the most successful gymnast in US history with seven Olympic medals, four of which are gold, and 19 first-place medals at the world championships. Yet her acclaim on the global stage, she has struggled with her mental health.

While multiple complex moves are named after her, and her medal haul is unmatched, she has dealt with criticism off the mat, including a recent wave of backlash over her grooming.

Simone Biles of The United States poses with her multiple gold medals during day 10 of the 49th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships at Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle, on October 13, 2019, in Stuttgart, Germany. | Source: Getty Images

Simone Biles Prioritized Her Mental Health during the Tokyo Olympics

Though she participated in the “Gold Over America Tour” in 2021, she admitted, “I’m still scared to do gymnastics.” This weekend was her first foray back into competitive sports since withdrawing from the Tokyo Olympic Games women’s team’s final in 2021 due to a case of the “twisties.”

The “twisties” is a mental block, a condition where a gymnast’s body and mind are not in sync. She went on to win a bronze medal in the balance beam with a modified routine in which she did not have to twist.

Simone Biles gestures during the artistic gymnastics women’s team final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre, in Tokyo, on July 27, 2021. | Source: Getty Images

Simone Biles warms up prior to the Women’s Balance Beam Final on day eleven of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Gymnastics Centre, on August 3, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. | Source: Getty Images

Ahead of the games, she said that her then-boyfriend, NFL player Jonathan Owens was “always so supportive,” she added later in the June 2021 interview:

“He’s the best because he also goes through it [as a professional athlete], so he knows exactly how it is in the process. It’s been amazing to have him.”

Biles dominated the Core Hydration Classic, formerly known as the US Classic, on Saturday, August 5, 2023. The gymnast won all her events save for the uneven bars, in which she placed third, being named the event’s overall winner.

Simone Biles of Team United States competes in the Women’s Balance Beam Final on day eleven of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Gymnastics Centre on, August 3, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. | Source: Getty Images

In this screen grab, Simone Biles speaks during the 2nd Annual espnW Summit NYC, on May 28, 2020 in New York City. | Source: Getty Images

Her total score of 59.1, five points ahead of the second-place contestant Leanne Wong, qualifies her for the US Championships in San Jose, California, which takes place in a few weeks. Biles told a news station after the event:

“It felt really good, especially after everything that’s happened over the past year.”

Simone Biles of the United States looks on during the Women’s Individual All Around Final on Day 6 of the 2016 Rio Olympics at Rio Olympic Arena, on August 11, 2016, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. | Source: Getty Images

Simone Biles of Team United States during the Women’s Team Final on day four of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Gymnastics Centre, on July 27, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. | Source: Getty Images

“Simone Biles ain’t worrying about no [expletive] hair! She came to go to work, and “went to work” is what she did!” a fan tweeted over the weeked after her triumphant return.

“I’ll never forget how BW bashed Simone Biles about her hair on her wedding day,” another mused on Sunday. “But let it had been other races doing it. Social media got y’all so delusional.”

During Simone Biles‘ courthouse wedding ceremony to Jonathan Owens in April this year, social media was in a flurry over her edges, the short hairs on the hairline of textured natural tresses. The gymnast went on X to highlight that she lives in Houston, Texas, and sweated out her hairstyle.

“Even on her wedding day, normal people thought she looked happy & beautiful, but these types were worried about her hair not being laid,” a social media user pointed out last Thursday.