Remember when people called Simone Biles a “quitter” after she pulled out of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021? She stepped back for mental health reasons, and the criticism came hard and fast. But here’s the thing—Simone Biles didn’t need anyone’s approval to prove she’s the GOAT. And that’s exactly what she did. In the 2024 Paris Olympics, she made a stunning comeback, with 34 million people tuning in across NBC platforms to watch her claim 3 gold medals. And let’s not forget Biles hasn’t lost an all-around competition since 2013. Even if she had walked away, it wouldn’t change the fact that her legacy is solid. You can slap on all the labels you want, but her greatness? It speaks for itself.

The latest scoop on Simone Biles? Oh, it’s worth another standing ovation. When Gymternet dug through three massive spreadsheets from those three years (2022-2024), Simone Biles ended up at the top of the rankings for the best WAG scores over the quad. The data covers a total of 38,414 entries, which come from 709 gymnastics competitions. Talk about dominance! Even after Tokyo, when critics were at their loudest, Biles was still putting up insane all-around scores in the 60s, 59s, and 58s. Think about that: through everything, she stayed at a level of excellence that’s almost unheard of.

Let’s be real: Simone Biles is undoubtedly the GOAT. Greatest of All Time, no question about it. Why? For starters, no one has more world championship medals than her, and no American gymnast has more Olympic medals either. She’s racked up 23 world championship golds, including six individual all-around titles, plus eight Olympic medals, five of them gold. Oh, and she’s got five gymnastics skills officially named after her because no one else had the guts to land them. And remember when she wore that leotard with the rhinestone goat on it? She’s not just owning the title, she’s redefining it.

Her 2024 Paris comeback was everything. She led Team USA to gold in the team all-around, added another Olympic gold to her collection, and reminded the world why she’s untouchable. Without the mental health struggles she faced in Tokyo, there’s no doubt she could have added more hardware to her collection.

What really happened to Simone Biles?

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles shocked the world with a decision no one saw coming. After dazzling in Rio in 2016 with four gold medals, the pressure was sky-high for Tokyo. Everyone expected her to sweep the podium again. But things took a dramatic turn during the team final. On her first vault, an Amanar, Biles seemed to lose herself mid-air, completing just 1.5 twists instead of 2.5. The landing was shaky, but what stood out was her expression. She was rattled. Moments later, she withdrew, leaving everyone to wonder what had just happened.

What was going on? Turns out, Biles was battling something gymnasts fear most: “the twisties.” Imagine spinning and suddenly having no idea which way is up or how you’re going to land. It’s not just scary; it’s dangerous. Biles explained that she didn’t trust herself to land safely and didn’t want to risk serious injury. Critics called her a quitter, but gymnasts and athletes rushed to her defense, knowing just how risky competing under those conditions can be. Biles later shared videos of her struggling during practice, trying to educate the world on just how serious the twisties are.

Even with everything she was facing, Biles didn’t leave Tokyo empty-handed. After sitting out most of her events, she returned for the balance beam final, adjusting her routine to ditch her usual risky dismount. And guess what? She nailed it, earning a bronze medal. That moment felt bigger than gold. But if things had gone differently, we probably would’ve not seen her come back with even more fire and energy. That’s why the Paris Olympics felt like the perfect chance for her to get the ultimate redemption!