How old is Simone Biles? Legendary Gymnast mistaken as a child on flight, offered coloring books
Simone Biles is only 25 years old. Still very young, she already has a decorated career behind her.
She is also perhaps the world's best gymnast right now. She is tied for the all-time record for Olympic medals with Shannon Miller, with seven medals to their name each.
She was amongst the most prominent figures in the recent Olympics. Most viewers would have seen her if they tuned in at some point or another during the 2020 Tokyo or 2016 Rio de Jainero Olympics.
She has a case for being the most recognizable athlete of all time, especially in recent memory. On a flight, however, she was recently mistaken for a child by a flight attendant who offered the gymnast a coloring book.
Biles is not a tall person. She stands at just 4'8", which is a few inches shorter than the average woman. It's not crazy that a 4'8" person might be considered a child, but it is crazy that one of the most decorated athletes of all time was considered a child.
Biles had this to say about the incident on her Instagram story:
"Not the flight attendant trying to give me a coloring book when I board... I said, 'No, I'm good, I'm 25.'"
This is probably a one-time thing with one person who just happened to not recognize her. The gymnast did mention that another attendant offered her a mimosa. They did check her age first, though, so they weren't sure how old she was, either.
Biles was in the news recently for being the youngest living person to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, so it is surprising that someone wouldn't recognize her.
Simone Biles' outstanding career
As mentioned, her seven Olympic medals are tied for the most medals won by an American gymnast, and Biles may not be done yet.
She took home four gold medals in 2016, one for the team event, the all-around event, the vault and the floor exercise.
Team USA took home the silver in the team event in 2020, of which she was a part. The gymnast won bronze on the balance beam in both Olympics.
In other World Championships, she's taken home an astounding 19 gold medals, three silvers and three bronzes.
She also has two more gold medals in the Pacific Rim Competitions. She has a combined total of 24 gold medals, which makes her one of the most decorated athletes of all time.