“This kidney stone can wait… doing it for my team!” So tweeted Simone Biles, known as the best gymnast in the world ever, all four foot eight inches of her, from a hospital bed on the eve of the World Championships in Doha. She refused to be operated on and couldn’t be drugged to ease the agony, so she just decided to compete against the pain. And, while not at her best, swept the boards, winning her thirteenth gold and a record fourth world all-around title.
Born 14 March 1997 in Columbus, Ohio she had an inauspicious start in life with a drug and alcohol addicted mother and never knew her father. She was rescued from foster care by her grandparents, who despite their modest circumstances indulged her drive to succeed. Earlier this year, she came forward to testify that she, like so many of her fellow gymnasts, had been sexually abused by the US team doctor Larry Nassar.
She’s a Sun Venus Mercury in Pisces opposition Mars Node in Virgo – well-suited to an energetic yet artistic sport. She’s got a tough Saturn in self-reliant Aries trine Pluto, sextiling onto a focal point Jupiter Uranus in Aquarius. Sakoian & Acker describe Jupiter Uranus as the ‘power of positive thinking’. Her Pluto is exactly conjunct her exuberant Mars/Jupiter midpoint.
Her superstar 22nd Harmonic stands out as tough and unique; as well as super-confident. Her signature vault – ‘the Biles’ – has never been attempted in competition by any other woman. Former Olympic champion Nadia Comaneci said: “You have somebody who can do something we cannot even design on a paper.”
She’s certainly not in her easiest year with her Solar Arc Saturn square her Neptune; and tr Uranus about to hard aspect both within days. By the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 she’ll have her Solar Arc Jupiter square her Pluto for another confident push. What an extraordinary life and talent.
One of those rare athletes on whose sport you really do not need to know that much to see how extraordinary she is!