You’ve seen her fly. Anyone who has watched a single Olympic cycle knows the name. But there is a weird thing that happens when people see her on TV versus seeing her standing next to, well, anyone else.
The phrase "tall Simone Biles height" sounds like a total contradiction. Because it is.
Honestly, she’s tiny. Like, remarkably small. We’re talking 4 feet 8 inches. That is roughly 142 centimeters for the rest of the world. To put that in perspective, she is about 8 inches shorter than the average American woman. If she stands next to Shaq—which she has, and the photos are hilarious—she barely clears his elbow.
But here’s the kicker. When she is on the floor exercise, she looks like a giant.
The Physics of Why Simone Biles Height Actually Works
There’s a reason you don’t see many 6-foot-talled gymnasts winning gold medals. It’s basically physics.
In gymnastics, your height is your lever. A shorter lever is easier to rotate. Think about a figure skater pulling their arms in to spin faster. Because Simone is 4'8", her moment of inertia is incredibly low. She can whip through four twists and two flips in the time it takes a taller person to just get their legs off the ground.
It’s about power-to-weight ratio.
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She is essentially a bundle of fast-twitch muscle fibers. Because her frame is compact, she doesn't have to move a lot of "extra" limb length through the air. This is why she can land the Yurchenko double pike—a vault so dangerous and difficult that most men won't even try it.
Does gymnastics make you short?
This is the big myth. People see Simone and think, "Man, all that tumbling must have stunted her growth."
Nope.
It’s actually "self-selection." The sport doesn't make her short; her height made her the perfect candidate for the sport. If you’re 5'10", you’re probably going to gravitate toward volleyball or basketball because your center of gravity is too high for a 4-inch wide balance beam. Simone’s low center of gravity is her superpower. It’s what keeps her glued to the beam when she’s doing a back tuck with a full twist.
Tall Simone Biles Height: The Optical Illusion
If you search for "tall Simone Biles," you’re likely seeing the results of her incredible vertical leap.
When she hits the floor, she can reach heights of over 12 feet in the air. That’s higher than a basketball rim. When she is at the peak of her "Biles II" (the double back flip with three twists), she is technically "tall" for a split second.
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But let's be real. In the real world, she’s small.
- Height: 4'8" (142 cm)
- Compared to teammates: Even among gymnasts, she's usually the shortest.
- The "Lebron" Effect: She has the presence of a much larger athlete, which confuses the brain.
I remember seeing her stand next to her husband, Jonathan Owens. He’s a professional football player, about 5'11". The height gap is massive. She literally looks like a different species of athlete standing next to him. But she’s the one with the most decorated career in the history of her sport.
How She Views Her Own Stature
It wasn't always easy for her.
Growing up, Simone was teased. Kids can be mean, and they definitely noticed she was the smallest in her class. She’s talked openly about how she used to wish she was "lean and tall" like the more traditional gymnasts of the 90s. Back then, the "look" was very different. It was all about being waif-like.
Then Simone showed up with powerful shoulders and legs that look like they're carved out of granite.
She basically forced the world to change its definition of the "ideal" gymnastics body. She proved that being "compact and powerful" is better than being "long and lean" when you’re trying to defy gravity.
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"I was born with my body for a reason," she once said. And she’s right. That 4'8" frame is a high-performance machine.
What This Means for Future Athletes
If you're a parent of a kid who is "the short one" in class, Simone is the ultimate case study.
Height is just a variable. In some worlds, it's a disadvantage. In the world of elite athletics, it’s often about finding the specific arena where your specific "stats" give you an edge.
Actionable takeaways from the Biles height phenomenon:
- Leverage your center of gravity: If you're shorter, sports requiring balance and rotation (diving, wrestling, gymnastics) are your playground.
- Ignore the "standard": Simone broke the mold of what a champion looks like. Don't try to fit a mold that wasn't built for your anatomy.
- Focus on power-to-weight: Strength training matters more when you have less "leverage" to work with.
- Vertical is everything: Height on the ground doesn't matter if you can't get off the ground. Work on explosive power.
Simone Biles might be 4'8", but in terms of impact, she’s the tallest person in the room. Her height isn't a limitation; it’s the very thing that allowed her to become the G.O.A.T. Next time you see her on the podium, look at how she stands. She might be looking up at the other girls, but they are all looking up to her career.