Biomedical Engineer Argues That Simone Biles Could Be The Greatest Living Athlete

Simone Biles is American gymnastics’s Greatest of all Time (GOAT). Following the 2023 World Championships, she has won 37 world titles and Olympic medals. Those totals include men and women — no one is better than Simone Biles. She has won eight national titles and is the only American gymnast ever to accomplish that.

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Simone is currently working toward the 2024 Paris Olympics. After experiencing some health issues during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Paris will be a way for her to cement her GOAT designation. Her fans don’t need any confirmation; they already know! You can see the raw talent in this 2023 floor routine where she took the gold medal at Antwerp.

At four feet, eight inches tall, Simone Biles is one of the shortest gymnasts on the United States national team. Her unique style and creativity in showmanship mean she has accomplished a lot of “firsts.” This gives her the distinction of having five skills named for her on the official code of points: two floors, two vaults, and one beam. Skills are named after the first gymnast to perform the move in a major international competition.

In a recent TikTok post, biomedical engineer Matt Math evaluated Simone Biles’s skill levels compared to those of other world-class athletes. Using some math, he determined that Simone Biles is one of the greatest living athletes. And, of course, there was a bit of fangirling, too.

Based on a report from NBC, Matt stated that Simone Biles leaped 12 feet into the air. Matt used the distance from the floor to the top of her head to find her ground clearance. After subtracting her height, the distance her feet cleared was seven feet four inches! That is higher than Shaquille O’Neal, who stands seven feet one inch tall. Her leap is higher than the women’s high jump’s current national and world records.

Using that leap height and the comparisons, Matt feels confident that Simone Biles is one of the best athletes ever. He thinks she might be the greatest living athlete. He does present a convincing discussion. Please share if you think Simone Biles qualifies as the world’s greatest athlete.

You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.