"I typically win every competition I enter" - Simone Biles on the 'craving of victory' and striving towards perfection at gymnastics events
Simone Biles is one of the greatest gymnasts of all time. She has won seven Olympic medals and 25 World Championship medals in her successful career. Simone has seven Olympic medals at just 25 years of age, so she has a high chance of increasing her medal count in the upcoming years.
In 2019, Simone Biles was invited to the Good Morning Britain show before her performance during the The Superstars of Gymnastics event at the London O2 arena. USA's Max Whitlock was also invited to the show. During the occasion, Simone Biles interacted with hosts Piers Morgan, Susanna Reid, and Charlotte Hawkins.
Morgan complimented Biles for winning everything (medals) in gymnastics. He then went on to commend her for being self-critical, which helped her achieve every victory.
The gymnast was all smiles when she admitted that she was winning all the competitions in those days. At the end of an event, she would think about things that didn't go her way. She reasoned the she was always striving for perfection.
"Because I typically win every competition I've entered in. I feel like I come out and there's always something that I'm upset about or that didn't go right. So I'm always striving to be perfect," said Simone.
Simone Biles on favoring her bronze medal the most
During the show, Morgan lauded Simone's qualities, particularly her craving for victories.
"You know what I love about you most? Because I have this big obsession about you," Morgan told Simone. "You crave winning, and hate losing. Otherwise what's the point in competing in anything, right?"
He proceeded to read aloud a quote Simone had made the previous year:
"Even when I win there are times when I'm upset like at the World's (Championship) last year. Doesn't mean because you win you'll be happy, I fell twice. Yes I won, but I didn't put my best performance in."
Morgan admired her 'craving of victory' and referred to Simone Biles as 'the most unbeatable pint-sized athlete in the history of athletics.' He then asked her what it felt like to be invincible. Simone felt differently about being invincible. She was certain there were others who could potentially defeat her.
Even on her worst day in the gymnastics arena, Simone Biles felt she was going to lose because she had a bad day and fell twice. Huge deductions were made in the total points for falling down twice. However, she won despite those deductions, and she was really surprised. To this, Morgan joked that she was probably not as surprised as her competitors must have felt.
The event Simone was referring to happened during the all-round finals of the 2018 World Championships. Simone fell during both vault and balance beams, but she won the gold medal by a margin of 1.7 points. During the 2018 World Championships in Doha, she won four gold medals, one silver medal, and one bronze medal.
Further into the conversation, Simone Biles said people tend to forget about bronze medals. Everyone would speak about her gold medals and neglect the existence of her bronze. The ace gymnast stunned Morgan when she added that the bronze medal was her favorite.
She said,
"The bronze is actually my favorite. Because it was the hardest to get."
Susanna Reid chimed in support, turning to Morgan and saying,
"There we go. Can you just reassess what you think about getting a bronze medal?"
Morgan said he wouldn't have it. He didn't accept her statement and preferred the old Simone at the start of the interaction.
"I prefer the winner from three minutes ago... The one who grins as she annhilates people!"
To which Susanna Reid returned adroitly,
"You have to have the whole Simone."
Simone Biles is currently taking a break from competitive gymnastics due to mental health reasons.