SIMONE IN JUST A MOMENT. FIRST, HOW SHE KEEPS MAKING
HISTORY.
HISTORY. >> MONEY.
>> MONEY. JUST KEEP MAKING HISTORY, SIMONE
BILES.
BILES. >> Reporter: SIMONE BILES HAS
ONCE AGAIN TUMBLED HER WAY INTO
THE RECORD BOOKS.
THE FIRST WOMAN EVER TO LAND A
TRIPLE-DOUBLE IN COMPETITION ON
THE FLOOR EXERCISE DURING LAST
WEEK’S U.S. GYMNASTICS
CHAMPIONSHIP.
CHAMPIONSHIP. >> SIMONE HAS ENOUGH GOLD MEDALS
AT HOME.
AT HOME. SOMEONE, GIVE THIS GIRL A CROWN.
>> Reporter: THAT MOVE COMING
ONE DAY AFTER SHE LANDED A
JAW-DROPPING DOUBLE-DOUBLE
JAW-DROPPING DOUBLE-DOUBLE DISMOUNT ON THE BALANCE BEAM.
THE FIRST TIME THAT’S EVER
HAPPENED IN COMPETITION.
BILES TOOK TO INSTAGRAM TO SHARE
HER EXCITEMENT.
HER EXCITEMENT. THAT FEELING WHEN YOU MAKE
HISTORY, TWICE.
HISTORY, TWICE. THE VICTORY MARKED BILES’ SIXTH
U.S. CHAMPIONSHIP WIN AND HER
20th CONSECUTIVE ALL-AROUND WIN,
DATING BACK TO 2013.
SIMONE’S RETURN TO COMPETITION
AFTER HER SPECTACULAR
PERFORMANCE AT THE 2016 OLYMPIC
GAMES HAD BEEN A MIX OF HIGHS
AND LOWS.
AND LOWS. EARLIER THIS MONTH, SHE TOOK AIM
AT USA GYMNASTICS, BLASTING THE
ORGANIZATION FOR ENABLING FORMER
TEAM DOCTOR LARRY NASSAR TO
SEXUALLY ABUSE HER AND HUNDREDS
OF OTHER YOUNG ATHLETES.
>> THEY COULDN’T DO ONE DAMN
JOB.
JOB. YOU HAD ONE JOB.
YOU LITERALLY HAD ONE JOB, AND
YOU COULDN’T PROTECT US.
>> Reporter: THE HEAD OF USA
GYMNASTICS RESPONDING DURING
LAST WEEK’S COMPETITION.
>> THIS ORGANIZATION HAS LET
DOWN MANY PEOPLE, INCLUDING
SIMONE, AND HISTORICALLY, THE
ORGANIZATION HAS SILENCED
GYMNASTS.
GYMNASTS. THAT TIME IS NO MORE.
>> Reporter: BUT WITH JUST ONE
YEAR TO GO UNTIL THE 2020
OLYMPIC GAMES IN TOKYO, THE
22-YEAR-OLD REMAINS FOCUSED ON
BEING THE BEST.
AS THE MOST DECORATED AMERICAN
GYMNAST IN HISTORY, BILES
DEBUTED A NEW LEOTARD WITH THE
DESIGN OF A GOAT ON THE BACK.
G.O.A.T., THE GREATEST OF ALL
TIME.
TIME. >> WHO WOULD DISPUTE IT?
SIMONE BILES IS HERE RIGHT NOW.
GOOD MORNING.
GOOD MORNING. NICE TO SEE YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
YOU, TOO.
YOU, TOO. >> EVERY TIME YOU’RE HERE, AND
I’VE INTERVIEWED YOU A FEW
TIMES, I ALWAYS ASK YOU THE SAME
THING.
THING. I ASK, ARE YOU HUMAN?
YOU SAY THAT YOU ARE.
THEN YOU GO AND DO SOME
INCREDIBLE SUPERHUMAN FEAT.
HOW DID IT FEEL TO WALK OFF THAT
FLOOR LAST WEEK, MAKING HISTORY?
>> IT FELT INCREDIBLE.
NO FEMALE HAS EVER DONE THAT
SKILL BEFORE.
SKILL BEFORE. FOR ME, I HAD TRAINED IT FOR A
WHILE NOW, SO IT WAS KIND OF
JUST NORMAL FOR ME.
LOOKING BACK AT THE VIDEOS, IT
DOESN’T LOOK NORMAL.
I KNOW IT IS NOT NORMAL.
>> I KNOW.
DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHEN YOU’RE
DOING THAT STUFF THAT IT IS JUST
GOING TO GO SUPER VIRAL?
I MEAN, FIRST, YOU KNOW, THE
ROUTINE GOES VIRAL.
THEN THEY PUT IT IN SLOW MOTION.
THEN WE NEED TO PUT IT IN
EXTREME SLOW MOTION TO GRASP
WHAT YOU JUST PULLED OFF.
>> YEAH, I ACTUALLY HAD NO IDEA
HOW VIRAL IT WAS GOING TO GO.
I THOUGHT THAT NOTHING WAS
REALLY GOING TO HAPPEN.
I KNEW I WAS GOING TO BE THE
FIRST FEMALE TO DO IT, AND THEN
AFTER THAT, I WAS GOING TO BE
LIKE, OKAY, YEAH, WHATEVER.
NOT TOO MANY PEOPLE PAY
ATTENTION TO GYMNASTICS,
ESPECIALLY IN A NON-OLYMPIC
YEAR.
YEAR. IT WAS CRAZY TO SEE HOW VIRAL IT
WENT.
WENT. IT JUST KEPT, LIKE,
ACCUMULATING, AND IT IS STILL
GOING.
GOING. IT IS KIND OF CRAZY.
>> WELL, YOU ARE HILARIOUSLY
HUMBLE.
HUMBLE. OF COURSE, WE’RE PAYING
ATTENTION.
ATTENTION. THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU’RE
SETTING RECORDS AND MAKING
HISTORY AND PUSHING THE SPORT
LIKE YOU DO.
HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO YOU, NOT
JUST TO WIN MEDALS BUT TO DO
THINGS THAT HAVE LITERALLY NEVER
BEEN DONE?
BEEN DONE? >> IT’S KIND OF CRAZY BUT, YOU
KNOW, IN AND OUT OF THE GYM, I
TRY TO PUSH MYSELF AND SEE HOW
MUCH I CAN DO.
I GUESS THAT RESULTS IN BREAKING
A LOT OF RECORDS.
>> IT DOES.
NOW, I THINK I READ THAT SOME OF
THESE THINGS YOU ACTUALLY
STARTED TALKING ABOUT LIKE YEARS
AGO, SOME OF THESE MOVES THAT WE
SAW LAST WEEKEND.
>> MM-HMM.
>> MM-HMM. YES, AND I NEVER THOUGHT A LOT
OF THE MOVES WOULD BE FEASIBLE,
UNTIL I STARTED TRAINING ONCE I
CAME BACK FROM TAKING LIKE A
YEAR AND A HALF OFF.
NOW, I’M COMPETING THEM, AND I
NEVER THOUGHT IN A MILLION YEARS
THAT SOME OF MY DREAM SKILLS,
I’D BE ABLE TO COMPETE.
>> YOU ALREADY HAVE A COUPLE OF
MOVES THAT I THINK ARE NAMED
AFTER YOU.
AFTER YOU. WHAT’S BETTER, GETTING A GOLD
MEDAL AT THE OLYMPICS OR GETTING
SOMETHING NAMED AFTER YOU?
BOTH SEEM REALLY GREAT.
>> YES.
>> YES. I FEEL LIKE SINCE IT GETS NAMED
AFTER YOU, IT’LL BE IN THE BOOK
FOREVER.
FOREVER. HOPEFULLY MORE ATHLETES WILL
WANT TO TRY IT.
I THINK THAT’S SUPER EXCITING.
>> YOU DRIVE YOURSELF SO HARD.
I NOTICE ON, I THINK, THE FIRST
NIGHT OF COMPETITION, YOU DIDN’T
LIKE HOW ONE OF THE ROUTINES
WENT.
WENT. YOU DON’T HAVE A POKER FACE.
WE COULD TELL YOU WERE NOT
HAPPY.
HAPPY. >> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> WHERE DOES THAT FIRE COME
FROM, THAT BURNING DESIRE TO
JUST BE EXCELLENT?
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. I FEEL LIKE NOW, IF I GO OUT AND
DO WHAT I’M SUPPOSED TO DO, I
SHOULD COME OUT TOP THREE.
I JUST REALLY UPSET MYSELF
WHENEVER I DON’T COMPETE HOW I
TRAIN AND I DON’T GIVE THE
PERFORMANCE THAT I WANT TO.
I JUST GET REALLY FRUSTRATED.
>> I HATE TO EVEN ASK YOU ABOUT
THE TROUBLE FACING USA
GYMNASTICS BECAUSE THE FOCUS IS,
AND IT SHOULD BE, ON YOUR
INCREDIBLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
INCREDIBLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS. YOU GAVE SUCH AN EMOTIONAL AND
POWERFUL ANSWER THE OTHER DAY,
AND IT REALLY STRUCK ME, YOU
KNOW, THAT WHILE YOU’RE DOING
EVERYTHING YOU’RE DOING IN YOUR
SPORT, YOU’RE ALSO HEALING.
YOU’RE DOING BOTH AT THE SAME
TIME.
TIME. >> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> WHAT HAS THIS JOURNEY BEEN
FOR YOU?
FOR YOU? >> OH, GOODNESS.
I FEEL IT’S BEEN A ROLLER
COASTER.
COASTER. A LOT OF HIGHS, A LOT OF LOWS.
YOU KNOW, COMING BACK, I’M DOING
THIS JUST FOR ME.
I THINK THAT’S DIFFERENT THAN
THE LAST TIME AROUND.
FOR ME, I FEEL LIKE I HAVE
NOTHING TO PROVE TO ANYONE.
I THINK THAT’S WHAT KEEPS ME IN
THE SPORT, BESIDES LOVE AND
PASSION.
PASSION. >> YOU SAW WHAT THE USA
GYMNASTICS, THE NEW PRESIDENT,
HAD TO SAY AFTER YOUR COMMENTS.
THE FACT -- WAS THAT ENOUGH FOR
YOU?
YOU? DO YOU FEEL LIKE THEY’RE DOING
THE RIGHT THINGS NOW?
>> UM, I DON’T KNOW.
I FEEL LIKE YOU CAN ALWAYS TALK
THE TALK, BUT YOU HAVE TO SHOW
UP AND YOU HAVE TO PROVE.
YOU JUST HAVE TO DO YOUR JOB AT
THE END OF THE DAY.
IT WOULD ALMOST BE BETTER IF YOU
JUST PROVED TO EVERYONE RATHER
THAN TALKING.
THAN TALKING. TALKING IS EASY.
>> LET’S TALK ABOUT ANOTHER
PROJECT YOU’RE DOING, AND I LOVE
THIS.
THIS. YOU’RE TEACHING A MASTER CLASS
IN GYMNASTICS, WHICH IS GREAT.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> MY SOMERSAULT REALLY NEEDS
SOME WORK.
SOME WORK. WHO IS THIS CLASS FOR, AND WHAT
ARE YOU GOING TO DO?
>> YES.
>> YES. SO THE CLASS IS FOR ALL AGES.
IT GOES FROM BEGINNER TO
INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED TO ALL
THE WAY TO WHAT I’M DOING.
WE’RE TEACHING THE FUNDAMENTALS
OF GYMNASTICS ON ALL FOUR
EVENTS.
EVENTS. IT WILL GO FROM BASICS TO SKILLS
AND DRILLS, AS WELL.
IT IS REALLY EXCITING.
I HOPE ALL AGES CAN TUNE IN AND
SEE HOW IT GOES.
>> ALL RIGHT.
ANOTHER THING I ALWAYS ASK YOU
IS WHAT YOU’RE DOING FOR FUN IN
YOUR LIFE.
YOUR LIFE. HOW IS THAT CUTE BOYFRIEND?
WE SEE YOUR PICS ON INSTAGRAM.
EVERYTHING GOOD?
EVERYTHING GOOD? >> OH, THANK YOU.
YES, HE’S GREAT.
I LOVE HIM.
>> WELL, YOUR SMILE LIGHTS UP
THE WORLD, SIMONE.
YOU MAKE US TALK ABOUT
GYMNASTICS ALL YEAR LONG, EVEN
WHEN IT IS NOT AN OLYMPICS YEAR,
BECAUSE YOU’RE SO GOOD AND YOU
MAKE US PROUD.