LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Simone Biles is one of the most celebrated athletes across the globe. With four gold in the Olympics along with 25 medals, out of which 19 are gold, at the World Championships, she has proven her mettle again and again.
Not just that, the 26-year-old is also the youngest person to be honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. However, there was a time when the most decorated American gymnast of all time was not fully happy with herself. Simon Biles’ height was reportedly the main reason behind her dissatisfaction.
How tall is Simone Biles?
So ready to know Simone Biles’ height? As per reports, Simon Biles’ height is 4' 8” (1.42 m/ 142 cm). Biles’ short height was a factor of major concern for her in her younger days.
There were times when she used to tell lies about her height. In her book ‘Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance,’ she reportedly revealed, “At the time, I was fourteen and small for my age. A four-feet-eight-inch ball of nonstop energy, I liked to say I was four feet nine just so I could feel taller.”
Simone Biles continued, “But I was also strong. I’d been born with the kind of biceps and muscled calves that, back in third grade, had earned me the nickname swoldger-a cross between swollen and soldier.”
‘I’m stronger than half of the boys in my class’
The decorated gymnast added, “Some girls might have been offended by that, and at first, I did think it was kind of mean. But after a while, I embraced it. I was like, Yeah, I’m stronger than half of the boys in my class, so don’t mess with me. It helped that I was starting to rack up some wins in gymnastics meets, where most of my teammates had muscles too.”
Simone Biles' height raises questions
Once the sportswoman was asked to answer a few questions by fans, including on her height. One such statement was “They [gymnasts] can never grow above a certain height.” Replying to this, she reportedly said, “Some gymnasts are like 5'6", 5'8", which is really tall ... for a gymnast, not for a normal person, but for a gymnast. If you walk into the [gymnastics] gym, the tallest person on the team is probably 5'4"...”
Biles also noted, “Everybody thought bar-swingers were a little bit taller, leaner, and if you are like a tumbler, you are a little bit shorter and thicker, but now it has been proven that you can, kind of, have both body types and do all of it.
“So it doesn't really make a difference ... Anymore ... But let me tell you, you gain three pounds, and it's a little harder to swing on the bar.”
How tall is Jonathan Owens?
Despite her high positioning in the athletics world, Biles’ height is reportedly shorter than most of her contemporaries. Even Biles’ height when compared to her husband is quite less. There is also a huge height difference between her and her new husband, Jonathan Owens, who stands tall at 5 feet and 11 inches (1.8 m/ 180cm).
Biles, however, never misses a chance to poke fun at herself especially about her height. Some time ago, she reportedly took to her Instagram Story and posted a clip with a caption that said, “Short people probs.” The footage showed her struggling to reach the floor of a plane while sitting on its seat.
But she was eventually stopped by her then-fiancé as Biles went on to funnily add, “I know tall people hate me.”
