Lady in waiting: Will Simone Biles be the breakout star of the 2016 Rio Olympics?

For folks who only tune into women’s gymnastics when the Summer Olympic Games roll around, 2016 may produce another revelation on par with Gabby Douglas. She stands a few inches short of five feet in height, resides in Spring, Texas, and sports a megawatt smile. Meet Simone Biles.

Biles started gymnastics at age thirteen — late by today’s standards, but has wasted no time flipping, flying and twisting her way to the top of her sport. She is both the reigning 2013 US National and World All-Around Champion.

In the rare moments Biles isn’t training in the gym (60 hours per week), she loses herself in type of distractions shared by seventeen-year-old girls everywhere (i.e Jersey Shore, Zach Efron, nice rides, etc.).

Biles isn’t afraid to interject a bit of levity into the intensity of training for world-class competition. At the 2014 USA National Training Camp, she plotted with fellow gymnast Lexie Priessman to have every single girl volunteer to lead warm-up when queried by National Team Coordinator Marta Karolyi.

Stay tuned for Biles decision on which college she’ll attend. She’s hinted at an announcement on the 20th of this month. One thing’s for certain — she has a sense of humor about amateur status…

amateurs built the ark professionals built the titanic

— $im∞ne Biles (@Simone_Biles) July 9, 2014