Simone Biles is good at just about everything. That includes gymnastics, modeling for Sports Illustrated, and now, dancing. Specifically, Dancing With the Stars. The gold medalist, who turned 20 earlier this month, topped the leaderboard in her DWTS debut on Monday after dancing the tango like a pro.
But making that happen hasn’t been as easy as people would think. Sure, Biles trains consistently for gymnastics and has done so for years. However, as she wrote in her blog for PEOPLE, training for the reality competition has been harder than training for gymnastics competitions, both physically and emotionally.
“I have spent almost my entire life pushing my body to its limits, but all my years of gymnastics training still did not fully prepare me for what it’s been like to do Dancing with the Stars,” she wrote. Partnered with Australian dancer Sasha Farber, Biles said he’s been pushing her body in ways she isn’t used to.
“I’m used to being sore, but I am going home from rehearsals with sore muscles that I never knew could get sore! In gymnastics, we’re barefoot the entire day in training. With dancing, my calves and shins are aching at the end of the day because of the heels.”
But it’s also been interesting trying to tap into emotions that she hasn’t really had to before. Showing emotion on the dance floor is something Biles admits has been quite difficult for her.
“I’m used to gymnastics where you’re either stone-faced or smiling from ear to ear the entire routine. Now, I’m having to tap into emotions that I really am not comfortable with. But we’ve been working on it.”
The gymnast also mentioned that this is the first time she’s actually really danced with a boy. If you’ll recall, she stated that she didn’t get to attend school dances and other major events growing up because of her commitment to gymnastics. She’s now having her chance to do all of the things she missed out on, and doing it big.
What do you think of Biles’s dancing skills so far?
Image via WENN
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