It might be hard to imagine an athletic powerhouse likeSimone Bileswith insecurities surrounding ability in her sport, but she’s only human.
“I was like, ‘How can I get any better than that?’ " said Biles, who willcompete as part of Team USAonce more this year.
She added of her time after Rio, “And so I was really nervous walking into the gym.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
Simone Biles forWSJ. Magazine.Rahim Fortune for WSJ. Magazine
Simone Biles.Emilee Chinn/Getty
But Biles persisted, choosing new coaches and diving headfirst into a fresh phase of her sport knowing that if she looked back, she’d regret not continuing her athletic career.
“Now I can enjoy my gymnastics. It’s really up to me,” she toldWSJ. Magazine. “And that probably also comes along with how many titles I’ve wonand everything I’ve established.”
For Biles, it’s all about making her own rules and setting her own milestone markers, knowing what she is able to achieve awards-wise and focusing more on personal satisfaction.
“It’s like, okay, well, the facts are on the paper. I feel like now Idon’t have to prove anything to anybody,” she explained. “I’m trying to level up.”
Simone Biles coversWSJ. Magazine.Rahim Fortune for WSJ. Magazine
That’s not to say memories of her quick rise to gymnastics superstardom are far from her mind, even as shecontinues to rack up medals.
“I wouldn’t say I thought ‘13 was a fluke,” Biles recalled. “But I was like, ‘Oh, whatever, I won; next year somebody else will be the winner.’ "
“And then ‘14 happened and I won, and I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh; what is happening?’ " Biles continued in the interview. “And then ‘15 happened, and I was like, ‘Who am I? This could be really good. Icould make the Olympic team!’ "
As for her future, “I feel like for all these years I’ve kind of let gymnastics do the talking, and I’ve kind of stamped my position there,” she said. “So at the end of the day, I can say I’ve done it all, and more.”
To learn more about all the Olympic hopefuls, visitTeamUSA.org. The Tokyo Olympics begin July 23rd on NBC.
source: people.com
