Simone Biles – ‘I Should Have Quit Way Before Tokyo'
New York magazine|September 27 - October 10, 2021
For Simone Biles, walking away was an act of self-reclamation.
By Camonghne Felix. Photographs by Ashley Peña
Simone Biles – ‘I Should Have Quit Way Before Tokyo'

Simone Biles has a keen air sense, the ability to let muscle memory pilot against the brain’s logical judgment. She can clear her mind and think of absolutely nothing. Catlike in her reflexes, she locates herself in space and lands on her feet every time. This has been the mark of her genius since childhood, the thing that made her different. Watching her is like trying to catch light. You think, Did that just happen? She flies higher and is more nimble than her competition, with more room for failure because what she attempts is that much more difficult. She has beaten the records of her idols—Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson, Alicia Sacramone—and they think she’s the undeniable greatest too. She’s what superheroes are made of, except she’s made of bones and muscles that strain and break.

This story is from the September 27 - October 10, 2021 edition of New York magazine.

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This story is from the September 27 - October 10, 2021 edition of New York magazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

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