Life in the Olympic Village, According to Simone Biles
Calling four-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles "popular" is an understatement. The entire closing ceremony got delayed because everyone wanted a photo with her. "Simone" has officially jumped up in most popular searches for baby names (also thanks to swimmer Simone Manuel). Needless to say, she's busy. While her schedule is booked with rendezvous with Zac Efron and Usher, however, we managed to steal a little time with the champion while she was promoting her partnership with Tide Pods (surely you've seen her brilliant "small can be powerful" commercial?). And she let us in on what life is like in the Olympic Village.
An average day of eats
Olympic athletes may be lining up way out the door for McDonald's, but Biles has discipline on competition day. "I usually have some protein, so either chicken or salmon along with vegetables. For snacks, I'll have a banana or protein bar," she tells ELLE.com. When it's time for a "cheat" treat, however, she swears by "pepperoni pizza and ice cream and cookies, of course!"
What downtime looks like
"When we had free time in the Olympic Village, we got massages and rested while watching Netflix. I love a good Netflix binge!" Simone says. She didn't tell us what she's currently bingeing, but she did share her favorite Zac Efron movie: Neighbors. P.S. On meeting her longtime celebrity crush, she says, "I was so in shock the moment I met him! It was so cool for him to come out and celebrate Team USA."
What's going on in the arena
As anyone who watches gymnastics knows, it can take forever between apparatuses. Simone shares, "Sometimes if there's a longer wait between events, we hang out in the back, some of us nap or listen to music."
How they deal with media scrutiny
As much as Biles and the Final Five get a ton of love on airwaves, they were not immune to criticism. From facing wrongful comments about Biles' parentage to critiques of Gabby Douglas' patriotism, however, Biles says the team sticks together: "No matter what, we are always looking out for each other and have each other's back. We're here to support each other."
