Gracious, petty and brilliant — Simone Biles is arguably bigger than the Olympics

The gymnast has been America’s best athlete for more than a decade. And she now wields incredible influence

Simone Biles performs on the balance beam during the women's all-around final at the Bercy Arena in Paris last Thursday. Picture: Mike Egerton/PA Wire.

Eight years ago at the Rio Olympics, when Simone Biles made the quantum leap from gymnastics-famous to worldwide household name with her epochal four-golds-in-seven-days masterclass, the most common refrain to describe her greatness was that her routines were so preposterously difficult she could fall multiple times and still win. 

Rebeca Andrade, right, of Brazil edged Simone Biles for gold on the floor exercise on Monday afternoon. Picture: Mike Egerton/PA Wire