Black HIstory Fact #14: Gabby Douglas and Simone Biles

What's going on, everybody. Welcome to the episode of a day with crime black history fact edition. Of course, I'm your man, David let's jump in. Today. We are going to talk about two of the greatest African American female gymnast. That would be Gabby Douglas and Simone Biles.

In 2012 Olympic gymnast, Gabby Douglas became the first African American in history to win the [00:01:00] individual all around event. She also won gold medals for the U S and the team competitions at the 2012 and 2016 summer Olympics. Also at the 2016 Olympics. Then 19 year old, Simone Biles made her debut. As the winner of 30 Olympic and world championship metals, and the only woman to hold seven all around US championship titles, she is currently the most decorated US gymnast.

So let's talk a little bit more about Gabby Douglas and Simone Biles. And since we'll be on the topic, I'll tell you guys what I think, on what happened to Simone in the 2020 summer Olympics. So let's begin with Gabby Gabrielle Christina Victoria Douglas was born on December 31st, 1995. [00:02:00] She is now a retired American artistic gymnast.

She is, of course, as I stated, the 2012 Olympic all around champion and she is the 2015 world all around silver medalist. She was a member of the gold winning teams at both the 2012 and the 2016 summer Olympics, which was dubbed the fierce five and the final five by the media, respectively. She was also a member of the gold winning American teams in the 2011 and the 2015 world championship.

Gabby is the first African-American to become the Olympic individual all around champion. And she is the first us gymnast to win gold in both the individual, all around and team competitions, at the same Olympics. She was also the 2016 AT&T American [00:03:00] cup all around champion. As a public figure.

Gabby's gymnastics successes have led to her story adaptation, and the 2014 lifetime biopic film, the Gabby Douglas story. As well as the acquisition of her own reality television series, Douglas family gold. Gabby has also written a book about her life and what it takes to be an Olympic gold medalist by determination and perseverance.

 So a little bit more about Gabby. So I don't know if anybody knows about gymnastics, but usually it's a sport that's really hard for African-Americans to get into 

because of the fact that it does cost a lot of money. And in most cases it does require time, a lot of time away from the family. So usually they would move to some other city and state live with parents or with people that have signed up to [00:04:00] be their family while they're there while they train. Gabby. Douglas was no exception to this rule.

So if you haven't seen the Gabby Douglas story is on lifetime and it's still there, I suggest you go check that out. They will tell you a lot more about her life. Also Douglas family gold don't think it's no longer on was also a very good show. So that's about Gabby. I will leave everything else about her down in the show notes, as you could probably imagine she does have a long extensive career.

And I would like you guys to read all about that. So let's move on to her predecessor,

Ms. Simone Biles. Simone Arion Biles was born March 14th, 1997. She is an American artistic [00:05:00] gymnast. She has a combined total of 32 Olympic and world championship metals. Simone is tied as the most decorated gymnast of all time. Simone's seven Olympic metals also ties Shannon Miller for the most Olympic metals won by an American gymnast.

Simone is considered one of the greatest and most dominant gymnast of all time. At the 2016 summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Simone won individual gold medals in the all around, vault and floor. She won bronze on balance beam and gold as part of the United States team dubbed the final five. At the 2020 summer Olympics in Tokyo,

she won bronze on balance beam as well as silver with the United States team, after struggling with the twisties, a temporary loss of air balance awareness. Her partial withdraw focus on [00:06:00] safety, mental health and perseverance were praised. Simone is also a five time world all around champion from years 2013, 2015, 2018 and 2019.

She is a five time world floor exercise champion. From years, 2013, 2015, 2018 and 2019. She is a three time world balance beam champion from years 2014, 2015 and 2019. She's a two time world vault champion from years 2018 and 2019. A seven time United States national all around champ. From 2013, 2016, 2018, 20 19 and 2021.

And she is a member of a gold medal winning American teams at the 2014, the 2015, the 2018 and the 2019 world artistic [00:07:00] gymnastics championships. Additionally, she is a three-time world, silver medalist from 2013 and 2014 on vault on 2018 on the uneven bars. And a three time world bronze medalist, 2015 on vault, 2013 and 2018 on balance beam. 

Simone is the gymnast with the most world metals, which is 25 and most world gold metals, which just 19 having surpass Vitaly Scherbo's record 23 world metals by winning her 24th and 25th, both gold at the 2019 competition and Stuttgart, she is the female gymnast with the most world, all around titles, which is five. Simone is the sixth woman to win an individual all around title at both the world championships and the Olympics.

And the first gymnast since Lillia, Podkopayeva in [00:08:00] 1996 to hold both titles simultaneously. She is the 10th female gymnast and first American female gymnast to win a world metal on every event. And the first female gymnast since Daniella Salivas in 1988.

To win a medal on every event at a single Olympic games or world championships, having accomplished this feat at the 2018 world championships in Doha. So once again, you can imagine that Simone Biles has a very long history. We will put that down in the show notes for you. 

Let's talk about what I feel happened to her at the 2020 summer Olympics. So, I don't know how many people listening to this today, play sports. But if you did, for any amount of time, then you know what I'm about to tell you is true?

So in gymnastics they call it the twisties because she gets lost in the air. She can't see where she's at. She doesn't know how to spot it anymore. But in all the sports, it is something also [00:09:00] called the yips. The twisties and the yips is the same thing. Just the word is tailored to fit the sport. Basically what it is is you forget how to play your sport.

It's a mental block. You know how to do this, but mentally something is wrong and it's telling you and your body, you don't know what you're doing. Now number of things do cause the twisties or the yips. If you ever wonder, if you live with an athlete why they say they don't do or won't do certain things before they have a meet or performance.

This is why it is important that the athlete is in a stress free environment, free of any family pressure free of any family issues that they can deal with when they are done some gymnast, they move away and they live someplace else for the month in which they have to compete for this reason. [00:10:00] Stress also attributes to this situation with Simone Biles was a under great stress and pressure going into the 2020 games.

Let's face it people. We was in the middle of a pandemic. The games was pushed back. We didn't even know if the games is even going to happen. Now, imagine all of that. You still train throughout that whole time period. And they finally tell you the Olympics is going to happen.

But because of the pandemic, we are not going to be able to have anybody, but your team fly with you. Your family has to stay behind. Your whole support system has to stay behind only coaches and media was allowed. Now McKayla Skinner, who was also on United States gymnast team. She kind of got away with having her dad there because her dad also doubles as [00:11:00] her coach, but every girl does not have that option.

So you're out there by yourself. You have nobody with you and you are performing basically to empty stands. The only people that's out there watching you right now is the other gymnast from the other countries, the media that's allowed to come and all of the coaches. Now on top of all of that. You are the top gymnast in the world.

People is expecting you to go out there and have this outstanding performance. They know what you are capable of, and they are expecting you to bring home nothing else, but gold. This is why Simone Biles got the twisties. Even in interviews, and they talked to her, they said, Simone, how do you feel the 2020 Olympics has finally happening?

Do you feel any pressure? She said no, but her, eyes said yes. So as she started to perform me, knowing Simone Biles, very well I've followed Simones [00:12:00] career. Since she's began made her debut onto this big stage, I knew something was wrong from the first vault that she did. She almost hurt herself and then it wasn't too much longer after that.

That she decided that she was going to pull out of the competition. Now she got ridiculed. I know the thing I read said. She was praised. Some people praised her, but other people did not. Other people called her a quitter and things of that nature.

Same thing happened to Naomi Osaka. And she got completely ridiculed. Not only was she in her country, she also was the person that lit the torch. And of course she was Japans high hope of winning this tennis match. But when she fell to mental issues and made that public like Simone, she also was ridiculed.

I applied Simone for [00:13:00] what she did. She stated that she would rather remove herself than if it caused her team to lose any potential metal. She also told those girls that she would be right there and the biggest cheerleader for them. And she certainly was. She dressed into her warmups and she sat in that stand every day of the competition until they made her go home.

And she cheered all those girls. and still with all of that, Simone came back for the final team event. And The United States being the powerhouse that they are pulled off a silver metal. Also what that does as a leader, a leader has to know when it is time to bow out of the war, when they will do more harm to their team than they would, if they just bowed out.

She knew that. So what happens is this brings other girls up to the forefront now other girls that wouldn't have this opportunity if Simone Biles was in and performing. [00:14:00] Not saying that I wanted Simone Biles to be out, but I know Simone Biles felt the same way that she was able to give somebody else a time to shine. Because of that for the first time we really saw what Suni Lee could do and she brought home the gold medal in the individual all around.

 Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, two of the greatest African-American female gymnast. I don't think anybody for a long time, will be able to surpass what they have done, especially with all the accolades and metals that Simone has. It is up in the air as of now, if Simone is coming back or is she's going to retire, but Simone, if she retired, she has nothing else to prove she's done it all.

And she is along with Gabby, two of the greatest to ever do it. All right, guys. Well, that does it for this one. I thank you for joining then for yet [00:15:00] another African American black history fact, please join me tomorrow. Our have a, another one for you and hopefully to be as fun as this one. Remember, if you ever needed to drop us a line, you can do at adaywithcrime@gmail.com

also remember to visit our website www.adaywithcrime.com that is your one stop shop for everything that is a day with crime. All right, guys. Well as always be good to yourself. And each other, and I'm going to catch you guys on the next one.