My ADHD Story: Simon Biles

Simone Biles is an olympian who specializes in the sports, gymnastics. She is from America and she is well-known for winning three consecutive gold medals in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Biles originally did not disclose or share her struggles of having ADHD. However her medical records have been publicly shown to the public without her consent due to Russian hackers hacking into the World Anti-Doping Agency database. The hackers questioned Simone Biles’ skill and credentials due to her using drugs for ADHD.

Instead of feeling ashamed and embarrassed, Biles took the opportunity to let the world know that she has had ADHD ever since she was a kid. She also admits that during the Olympics, she consumes Ritalin, which is a medicine that regulates and controls the symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity of ADHD.

There were also people who accused Biles of violating the rules of using any enhancing and therapeutic drugs during the Olympics, however, it was proven that the Olympics granted exemption to athletes who need to take therapeutic medications due to their illness. Moreover, it is also proven that Biles actually filed for a request to enable her to take her ADHD medications throughout the Rio Olympics to the World Anti-Doping Agency. In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, a special arrangement was issued to approve the use of therapeutic drugs to athletes who are in need of treatment.

From the story of Simone Biles, it is observed how the stigma around ADHD is still prevalent in society. People were quick to dismiss Biles’ skills and abilities in gymnastics when they knew she was taking drugs for her ADHD. However, Biles took a courageous step in owning her ADHD and not being ashamed or embarrassed about it as she announced it on her Twitter account

---

Simone Biles Biography

Birthdate	March 14, 1997
Hometown	Columbus, Ohio, California, USA
​Parents	Ronald Biles and Nellie Biles
Siblings	Ron Biles, Jr., Adria Biles Thomas, and Adam Biles
Boyfriend	Jonathan Owens
Children	None
Education	Benfer Elementary School, Homeschool

---

Career

At an early age, Biles was already sure of her talents and for her passion for gymnastics. She visited a gymnastics center from her daycare field trip. While Simone was trying to imitate the gymnasts in the center, Coach Ronnie saw potential in her and sent her a letter of request to join gymnastics. Since then, Biles trained and learned gymnastics until she went on to make a name for herself in the Olympics

As early as 2007, Simone was already competing as a level 8 gymnast. By 2011, she became a junior elite level and took the top spot during balance beam events. She also joined competitions such as the American Classic, the Alamo Classic, the Houston National Invitational and the Secret U.S. Classic in 2012 where she won in all of the events in the stated competitions.

After training tremendously, Biles moved on to become a senior elite level gymnast. By 2013, she also became an all around winner at the U.S. P&G Championships, and she also made history in the World Championships as she is the first female African American Athlete to win a gold medal.

In 2014, she continued to make world records. SHe won the fold in several competitions in the Secret U.S. Classic. In 2015, she became the first woman to win 10 gold medals in international competitions. In the 2016 Rio olympics, Biles shined through, together with her gymnastics team as they won numerous medals in the said event. For the year 2017, Biles took a break, however, in 2018 she returned to the U.S. Gymnastics Championship and won five titles.

She was able to pull-off the double-double dismount from the balance beam which only a few talented gymnasts can do. This also earned her a formal recognition. In 2019, earned a gold medal in the World Championships which makes her a holder of a total of 25 gold World Championship medals.

The legend does not stop here as she also became the first woman to successfully do a Yurchenko double pike move in a competition at the GK US Classic in Indianapolis, Indiana. The move is usually done for male gymnasts, but Biles took the challenge and was successful. In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Biles withdrew from the women’s team gymnastics due to a medical condition and her choosing to prioritize her mental health.

---

Awards and Recognition

2013	AT&T American Cup silver medalist
2013	​U.S. all-around champion and vault, uneven bars, balance beam & floor exercise silver medalist
2013	World all-around & floor exercise champion, vault silver medalist and balance beam bronze medalist
2014	U.S. all-around, floor exercise & vault champion and balance beam silver medalist
2014	World team, all-around, balance beam & floor exercise champion and vault silver medalist
2014	USOC's Female Olympic Athlete of the Year
2014	USOC Athlete of the Month
2014	Women's Sports Foundation's individual Sportswoman of the Year
2014	2014 Women's Sports Foundation's individual Sportswoman of the Year
2015	​2015 AT&T American Cup champion
2015	2015 U.S. all-around, vault & balance beam champion and floor exercise silver medalist
2015	​2015 World team, all-around, balance beam & floor exercise champion and vault bronze medalist
2016	2016 Pacific Rim Championships team & all-around champion
2016	2016 U.S. all-around, vault, balance beam & floor exercise champion
2016	2016 Olympic team, all-around, vault & floor exercise champion and balance beam bronze medalist
2016	Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year
2016	United States Sports Academy Female Athlete of the Year
2016	International Sports Press Association (AIPS) Female Athlete of the Year
2016	Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year
2016	ESPN's Woman of the Year for 2016
2016	USOC's Best of June (2016) Team USA Award
2017	Sports Illustrated's fittest female athlete
2017	ESPY Awards for Best Female Athlete and Best U.S. Female Olympian
2018	U.S. all-around, vault, uneven bars, balance beam & floor exercise champion
2018	World team, all-around, vault and floor exercise champion, uneven bars silver medalist and balance beam bronze medalist
2018	Laureus Sportswoman of the Year
2018	​Houston Sports Athlete of the Year
2018	United States Sports Academy Female Athlete of the Year
2018	Most Dominant Athlete of 2018 by ESPN the Magazine
2018	Hickok Belt Award winner
2018	​USOC's Best of August (2018) Team USA Award
2019	2019 U.S. all-around, vault, balance beam & floor exercise champion and uneven bars bronze medalist
2019	2019 World team, all-around, vault, balance beam & floor exercise champion. Also advanced to the uneven bars final
2019	2019 AP Female Athlete of the Year
2019	Team USA's Female Olympic Athlete of the Year for 2019
2019	USOPC's Best of October (2019) Team USA Award
2019	2019 People's Choice Awards Game Changer award
2019	United States Sports Academy Athlete of the Month for August 2019
2019	USOPC's Best of August (2019) Team USA Award
2020	​2020 Olympic team silver medalist and balance beam bronze medalist
2021	2021 U.S. all-around, vault, balance beam & floor exercise champion and uneven bars bronze medalist
2021	2021 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award
2021	TIME's 2021 Athlete of the Year
2021	People Magazine's 2021 People of the Year