Simone Biles is 4 feet 8 inches tall, which is about 142 cm or 1.42 metres. That makes her shorter than most adult women and short even by elite gymnastics standards, yet her compact, powerful build is part of what lets her generate the height and rotation behind some of the hardest skills ever performed. With 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals, she is widely regarded as the most decorated gymnast in history.
Below you will find her height in every common unit, why being small helps in gymnastics, and a factual overview of her career, records, family life and reported earnings.
Simone Biles: Quick Facts
| Full name | Simone Arianne Biles Owens |
| Date of birth | 14 March 1997 |
| Age | 29 (as of October 2026) |
| Birthplace | Columbus, Ohio, USA; raised in Spring, Texas |
| Height | 4 ft 8 in (142 cm) |
| Sport | Artistic gymnastics |
| Olympic medals | 11 (7 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze) across Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 |
| World Championship medals | 30 (23 gold), a record |
| Husband | Jonathan Owens, NFL safety (married 2023) |
| Known for | Five skills named after her, mental health advocacy |
How Tall Is Simone Biles in Feet, Centimetres and Metres?
Her widely reported height is 4 feet 8 inches. Converted:
| Unit | Height |
|---|---|
| Feet and inches | 4 ft 8 in |
| Inches | 56 in |
| Feet (decimal) | about 4.67 ft |
| Centimetres | about 142 cm |
| Metres | about 1.42 m |
For context, the average adult woman in the United States is roughly 5 ft 3 in to 5 ft 4 in, so Biles is around seven or eight inches shorter than average. Her husband, Jonathan Owens, is reported to be around six feet tall, and photos of the couple regularly draw comments about the height difference.
Putting 4 ft 8 in into perspective
Numbers on their own can be hard to picture. At 56 inches, Biles is roughly the height of a typical ten- or eleven-year-old child, and a standard interior door in the UK (about 1.98 metres) is more than half a metre taller than she is. A competition balance beam stands 1.25 metres from the floor, so the beam surface sits only a little below her shoulder height when she is standing next to it. Seen that way, the height she reaches on floor and vault, often well above her own height, becomes even more striking.
Why Being Short Helps in Gymnastics
Elite female gymnasts are often shorter than average, and there is a physical reason. A shorter body has a smaller moment of inertia, which means it can rotate faster for the same effort. That matters for twisting and somersaulting skills, where athletes must complete multiple rotations in the fraction of a second they spend in the air.
- Faster rotation: a compact body tucks and twists more quickly.
- Power-to-weight ratio: Biles is famously muscular for her size, which helps her build speed on the run-up and height off the floor.
- Control: a lower centre of gravity can help with balance on landings and on the beam.
Height is not everything, of course. Taller gymnasts can have longer lines that suit some apparatus, and technique, strength, courage and training matter far more than a few inches. What makes Biles unusual is that she combines the rotational advantage of a small frame with exceptional power, which is why she can perform skills other gymnasts do not attempt.
Career and Gymnastics Journey
Early life and training
Biles was born in Columbus, Ohio, and spent part of her early childhood in foster care. She and her younger sister were later adopted by their maternal grandfather, Ron Biles, and his wife, Nellie, and grew up in Spring, near Houston, Texas. She discovered gymnastics on a day-care field trip to a gym, where coaches spotted her talent, and she went on to train at the family’s World Champions Centre.
World Championship breakthrough
She won her first world all-around title in 2013, aged 16, and went on to win the all-around at consecutive World Championships through the following years, a run that established her as the dominant gymnast of her generation.
Rio 2016
At her first Olympics, Biles won four gold medals (team, all-around, vault and floor) and a bronze on balance beam.
Tokyo 2020
At the Tokyo Games, held in 2021, Biles withdrew from several finals after experiencing the “twisties”, a loss of air awareness that makes twisting skills dangerous. She returned for the beam final and won bronze, adding to a team silver. Her decision to put her safety and mental health first sparked a global conversation about athlete wellbeing.
Comeback and Paris 2024
After a break, Biles returned in 2023 and won the world all-around title again in Antwerp, where she also became the first woman to land a Yurchenko double pike vault in international competition. At Paris 2024 she won gold in the team, all-around and vault events and silver on floor, taking her Olympic total to 11 medals.
Olympic medals by Games
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rio 2016 | Team, all-around, vault, floor | None | Balance beam |
| Tokyo 2020 (held 2021) | None | Team | Balance beam |
| Paris 2024 | Team, all-around, vault | Floor | None |
Across those three Games she won medals on every apparatus except uneven bars, which has historically been her weakest event. The gap between Tokyo and Paris also shows how much her comeback meant: she went from withdrawing from most finals to winning three more golds three years later.
Achievements and Records
- Record 30 World Championship medals, 23 of them gold.
- 11 Olympic medals, the most of any American gymnast.
- Six world all-around titles, a record.
- Five skills named after her across floor, beam and vault, including the Yurchenko double pike vault (the Biles II).
- Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient in 2022, the youngest person to receive it at the time.
The skills named after Simone Biles
A skill is named after a gymnast when they are the first to perform it successfully at a major international competition. Biles has five:
| Skill | Apparatus | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| The Biles | Floor | Double layout with a half twist at the end |
| The Biles II | Floor | Triple-twisting double back somersault (the “triple double”) |
| The Biles | Balance beam | Double-twisting double back dismount |
| The Biles | Vault | Round-off, half turn onto the table, front layout with two twists |
| The Biles II | Vault | Yurchenko double pike |
Several of these rely on exactly the qualities her height supports: fast rotation, a tight body position and explosive power off the floor or table. They carry high difficulty values, which is one reason her scores have often been well clear of her rivals even with small errors.
It is worth noting that her height did not change the physical risk of these skills. The “twisties” she experienced in Tokyo affected her sense of where she was in the air, and at the heights she reaches, that loss of orientation can cause serious injury. Her decision to step back was about safety rather than performance.
Personal Life and Marriage
Biles married Jonathan Owens, an NFL safety, in 2023, with a small legal ceremony in Texas followed by a larger celebration in Mexico. Owens has played for several NFL teams, and the couple often share glimpses of their life on social media. She has spoken publicly about her upbringing, the support of her grandparents, and her experience as one of the survivors in the USA Gymnastics abuse scandal, testifying before the US Senate in 2021.
Net Worth and Endorsements
Biles has not disclosed her net worth, and published estimates vary widely between outlets, so any single figure should be treated as a rough guess. Her income comes mainly from sponsorships and appearances rather than prize money. She has been associated with brands including Athleta, Visa and GK Elite, and has also appeared in a Netflix documentary series and published a memoir, Courage to Soar.
Physique and Training
Biles has a strong, muscular build. Elite gymnastics training typically involves several hours a day in the gym, combining apparatus practice with strength, conditioning, flexibility and recovery work. Her longevity is notable: at the Paris Games she was 27, older than most Olympic gymnasts in a sport long dominated by teenagers. She was widely reported to be the oldest American woman to compete in Olympic gymnastics since the 1950s.
She has also talked openly about looking after her mind as well as her body, including working with a therapist, and has said that this was an important part of her return to competition after Tokyo. For many fans, that honesty is as much a part of her story as the medals.
Legacy and Impact
Biles changed gymnastics in two ways. On the competition floor, she raised the ceiling of difficulty so far that the scoring system had to account for her skills. Off it, she made it acceptable for elite athletes to talk openly about mental health and to step back when their safety is at risk. For young gymnasts, and for anyone told they are too small for something, her 4 ft 8 in frame is a reminder that size is only one factor among many.
If you enjoy athlete profiles, see our look at Owen Farrell’s height and career or boxer Fabio Wardley’s career.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall is Simone Biles in feet?
Simone Biles is 4 feet 8 inches tall, which is 56 inches or about 4.67 feet.
How tall is Simone Biles in cm?
She is about 142 cm, or 1.42 metres, tall.
Why are gymnasts usually short?
A shorter body can rotate faster, which helps with twisting and somersaulting skills. Strength-to-weight ratio also matters, although technique and training are more important than height.
How old is Simone Biles?
Simone Biles was born on 14 March 1997, so she is 29 as of 2026. She competed at the Paris 2024 Olympics aged 27.
How many Olympic medals has Simone Biles won?
She has won 11 Olympic medals: 7 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze across the 2016, 2020 and 2024 Games.
Who is Simone Biles married to?
She married NFL safety Jonathan Owens in 2023. Owens is reported to be around six feet tall, so there is a height difference of more than a foot between them.
Bottom Line on Simone Biles’ Height
Simone Biles stands 4 ft 8 in (about 142 cm), well below average, and that compact frame is part of the physics behind her record-breaking skills. Her height helps explain how she rotates so quickly, but her strength, technique and resilience explain why no other gymnast has matched her record.
