“The tallest person on the team is probably 5’4” - Simone Biles on gymnasts being shorter 

By Kiran Rao

Modified Mar 13, 2024 12:31 GMT

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Simone Biles is one the greatest gymnasts of all time and has dominated the world of artistic gymnastics in the last few years. She is known for her incredible strength and the powerful routines that she has on all apparatuses.

Popular sports such as football and basketball are understood fairly well by the average person. But the intricacies and subtleties of gymnastics and being a gymnast are understood by just a few.

Simone Biles at the women's podium training in Tokyo (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Simone Biles' interview

In an attempt to clarify some aspects of the sport and debunk any myths surrounding it, the 25-year old spoke to Glamour in mid 2021. She addressed many of the common queries and statements that the fans posed and shone the light on some insider information too!

One of the statements that she addressed was particularly interesting. It read, 'They [gymnasts] can never grow above a certain height'. Biles addressed this, and this is what she had to say:

"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"..."

According to Reference, the average height of a female gymnast is around 5'1", making them shorter than the average American woman. A look at the American team in Rio testifies to the truth of Biles' words. All five of them are 5'2" or shorter, with Aly Raisman being the tallest and Biles the shortest at just 4'8". Biles continued:

"I think it's different now. 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."

Team USA: Biles, Douglas, Hernandez, Kocian and Raisman (L-R) wins Gold at the Rio games (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Gymnastics is a sport that is primarily based on bodyweight management. Shorter athletes have a lower center of gravity that allows them to shift their bodyweight a lot quicker than taller ones, enabling them to make better twists and turns in air. This is perhaps one of the reasons why tumbling gymnasts are usually on the shorter side.

Simone Biles' saved the best for last as her response to the final statement was the most surprising one! The statement read: 'They [gymnasts] are very flexible'. Biles replied:

"No, not all gymnasts are flexible. Me and Aly Raisman were actually not that flexible for gymnasts, because our muscles kind of overlap that, but we are flexible enough to do what we have to do."

This response came as a surprise to many because it is always assumed from the face of it that all gymnasts are flexible!

President Biden awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Simone Biles, 2022 (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Simone Biles, with her short build, still manages to tower over the world of gymnastics today. She owns four Olympic gold medals out of her total of seven and is the most successful gymnast of all time at the World Championships, with a total of 25 medals, of which 19 are gold! She is also the youngest recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work with athletes' mental well-being!