When Simone Biles realized gymnastics was her calling at just six years old, there was no turning back. Her childhood coach, Aimee Boorman, recalls she was a prodigy in every sense, undaunted by mistakes and relentless in her pursuit of mastery. “At 6? That’s not normal,” Boorman exclaimed the first time she saw Simone plant her hands, push down, tuck her legs, and flip over into a perfect plank. Fast forward 22 years, and Biles has claimed her throne as the greatest gymnast of all time. Now, history seems poised to repeat itself, as a 17-year-old prodigy catches Boorman’s trained eye.

West Fowler, the Florida Virtual School standout, has been making waves on the mats, so much so that he’s caught the attention of Simone Biles’ childhood coach. In his latest performance, Fowler helped Team USA secure the silver medal in the Men’s Tumbling event at the World Trampoline Gymnastics Championships. Alongside Kaden Brown and Xavier Harper, Fowler propelled the team to a cumulative 22 points, marking Team USA’s highest finish in the event since 1998!

In Round One, West Fowler scored 28.000, earning 6 points; Round Two saw Kaden Brown score 29.200, securing 10 points; and in Round Three, Xavier Harper tallied 27.000, adding 6 points. Much like Simone Biles, 17-year-old Fowler recognized his calling in gymnastics early. His mother, Alie, enrolled him in classes just weeks after his birth. By age two, he was already nailing a back handspring, and at six, he performed a double backflip on the trampoline.

His talent even caught the eye of Simone Biles’ youth coach during the family’s year in Houston, before they moved to Gulf Breeze when he was seven. “Her coach, Aimee Boorman, was like ‘He kind of reminds me a lot of her at this age’,” Blain Fowler, West’s father and coach, said. “He’s just chucks his body through whatever and finds his feet.” 

He may not be at the very top yet, but Fowler’s progress is impossible to ignore. At just 17, he became the youngest gymnast to represent Team USA at the World Trampoline Gymnastics Championships, and he’s only getting started. “I just learned to grow up with the sport,” West said. “And I’ve been doing it my entire life, and I’ve learned to love it.” His journey has just begun, but how is he already so good? Well, let’s hear it from him.

West Fowler’s journey has an uncanny similarity to Simone Biles

The seven-time Olympic gold medalist literally lived her life in the gym, which helped her become the athlete she is today — and the same can be said for West Fowler. West’s mom competed in gymnastics in high school, and all of her children followed in her footsteps. The youngest of the three, West, is on the verge of greatness, while his older sister, Hallie, became the youngest ever to be hired as a college coach and now leads Manhattan College’s acrobatics and tumbling program. Meanwhile, Bradyn is making her mark as a sophomore on the University of Montevallo team.

So, when West says that he lived his life around the gym, you better believe it. After being trained by his mother and sisters, West picked up his skills quickly. However, rather than becoming a conventional gymnast, he chose to focus on trampoline more than artistic gymnastics. As per him, the sport is more niche compared to artistic gymnastics, making it easier for him to move up the ranks. Winning the national title in the double mini in level 9 gymnastics at just 9, he proved that he is next in line for greatness.

With his current status, the gymnast is already making a huge name for himself all across the world, but the question here is, how far will the 17-year-old go? What are your thoughts? Tell us in a comment.