6 Incredibly Powerful Photos of Record-Breaking Gymnast Simone Biles

The Olympic athlete just won her eighth national all-around title, the most of any single gymnast in history.

Martha Zaytoun | Aug 27, 2023

Simone Biles was photographed by James Macari in Houston.

James Macari/Sports Illustrated

In honor of Simone Biles’s triumphant return to gymnastics and her most recent accomplishment—winning her eighth national all-around title, the most won by a single gymnast, this past weekend in San Jose, Calif.—we’re throwing it back to her first-ever feature in the SI Swimsuit Issue. The record-breaking gymnast made her debut with the magazine in 2017, accompanying her U.S. teammate Aly Raisman and photographer James Macari to Houston.

The pair each took part in a gymnastics-themed photoshoot, sporting chic swimwear as they performed their impressive gymnastics poses on the concrete structures of a park in Texas.

“I was nervous because I didn’t know what to expect,” Biles said on set of the photoshoot. “But then once I got on set, everyone made me feel very comfortable and everything we did was what I’ve done before,” but only in a swimsuit this time.

Posing on the concrete of the memorial park was “a little bit different,” but also what made the photos unique, according to Biles. “It think it went fabulous—it was amazing,” she said after the photoshoot had ended. “It would be fun to do more often.”

Little did the 26-year-old know, she would return to the issue two years later. In 2019, she followed up her incredible debut with equally stunning photos in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Below are six of the most epic and extremely powerful photos from Biles’s debut SI Swimsuit photoshoot.

simone1 — James Macari/Sports Illustrated

Simone Biles was photographed by James Macari in Houston, Texas. Swimsuit by MIKOH.

simone2 — James Macari/Sports Illustrated

Simone Biles was photographed by James Macari in Houston, Texas. Swimsuit by L'Agent by Agent Provocateur.

simone3 — James Macari/Sports Illustrated

Simone Biles was photographed by James Macari in Houston, Texas. Swimsuit by allSisters.

simone4 — James Macari/Sports Illustrated

Simone Biles was photographed by James Macari in Houston, Texas. Top by Blue Life Swim.

simone5 — James Macari/Sports Illustrated

Simone Biles was photographed by James Macari in Houston, Texas. Top by Blue Life Swim.

simone6 — James Macari/Sports Illustrated

Simone Biles was photographed by James Macari in Houston, Texas.

Make sure to follow SI Swimsuit on YouTube!

Published Aug 27, 2023

MARTHA ZAYTOUN

Martha Zaytoun is a writer on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit. Before joining SI Swimsuit in 2023, she worked on the editorial board of the University of Notre Dame’s student magazine and on the editorial team at Chapel Hill, Durham and Chatham Magazines in North Carolina. When not working, Zaytoun loves to watercolor and oil paint, run and water ski. She is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a huge Fighting Irish fan.