Which gymnastics discipline does Simone Biles compete in?

Simone Biles competes in women's artistic gymnastics.

Women’s artistic gymnastics, commonly abbreviated WAG, is the branch of gymnastics built around four apparatuses: vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise. Athletes may compete on individual events, in the all-around, or as members of a team. Biles has excelled across all four, although her extraordinary difficulty and consistency have made her especially prominent in the all-around and vault.

This discipline is distinct from rhythmic gymnastics, which uses apparatus such as ribbon and hoop, and from trampoline gymnastics, which centers on aerial routines performed on a trampoline. Acrobatic gymnastics is another separate discipline involving partnered or group balances and tumbling.

Biles began competing internationally as a senior in 2013 and quickly became a defining figure in women’s artistic gymnastics. Several skills in the sport’s Code of Points carry her name because she was the first woman to perform them successfully at major international competition. Her discipline is therefore more specific than simply “gymnastics”: she is an artistic gymnast, not a rhythmic or trampoline specialist.