Simone Biles Used to Steal Food During Her Early Days in Gymnastics Amid Harsh Training Conditions
February 13, 2026, Milan, Lombardy, Italy: Artistic Gymnastics legends SIMONE BILES of USA attends the Free Skating program in the Men Single Skating of the Figure skating, Eiskunstlauf at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, Olympische Spiele, Olympia, OS Milan Italy - ZUMAc179 20260213_oly_c179_220 Copyright: xMickaelxChavetx
February 13, 2026, Milan, Lombardy, Italy: Artistic Gymnastics legends SIMONE BILES of USA attends the Free Skating program in the Men Single Skating of the Figure skating, Eiskunstlauf at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, Olympische Spiele, Olympia, OS Milan Italy - ZUMAc179 20260213_oly_c179_220 Copyright: xMickaelxChavetx
Climbing to the top of the gymnastics world wasn’t easy, even for Simone Biles. And one of those hardships included a move that hardly anyone would believe.
With 11 Olympic and 30 World Championship medals under her belt, Biles is the most decorated gymnast in history. But before the success came in, the earlier days of her career often involved stealing food from the cafeteria.
"I've never told that to anybody, like, on film or anything,” she stated in a 2021 interview with CBS' 60 Minutes. “But there would be nights where we're, like, running with our hoodie up, and we would break into the cafeteria to eat."
August 5, 2024, Paris, Ile de France, France: Simone Biles of the United States waits for score with coach Cecile Landi after competing on the beam on day three of the gymnastics event finals at the Arena Bercy during the 2024 Paris Olympics on Monday August 5, 2024 in Paris. Paris France - ZUMAj89_ 20240805_oly_j89_061 Copyright: xPaulxKitagaki,xJr.x
August 5, 2024, Paris, Ile de France, France: Simone Biles of the United States waits for score with coach Cecile Landi after competing on the beam on day three of the gymnastics event finals at the Arena Bercy during the 2024 Paris Olympics on Monday August 5, 2024 in Paris. Paris France - ZUMAj89_ 20240805_oly_j89_061 Copyright: xPaulxKitagaki,xJr.x
This was an occurrence when she trained once a month at the Karolyi Ranch in Texas after being named to the US junior national team. A 12-year-old Biles and her fellow gymnasts were on a restricted diet.
For the growing bodies, those small meals were far from being enough. This ultimately resulted in the underfed athletes having to break into the Ranch’s kitchen sometimes and feed themselves at night.
While this exposed one of the downsides of the US gymnastics system, this also led Biles to announce a firm decision at that time.
Simone Biles Wouldn’t Let Her Children Be Gymnasts
After a career as successful as Biles’, many would desire to pass down the legacy to their children. However, when asked if she’d let her future kids follow in her footsteps as a gymnast, Biles had a different answer.
“No,” she responded. “Because I don’t feel comfortable enough. They (US gymnastics) haven’t taken accountability for their actions and what they’ve done. And they haven’t ensured us that it’s never going to happen again.”
Keeping these behind her, Biles is now almost synonymous with gymnastics, having revolutionized the sport in several ways. So, regardless of her children following in her footsteps, her legacy will surely live on.
With that being said, can you name another athlete who faced early struggles in their career like Biles had? Let us know in the comments.
Follow Gymnastics Digest for more.
Written by
Deblina Roy