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Simone Biles, Olympic gymnasts inspire Hoosiers during Gold Over America Tour

'We keep it moving and we get to the gold in all of us'
SIMONE BILES.jpeg
Posted at 12:08 AM, Oct 23, 2021
and last updated 2021-10-23 00:08:36-04

INDIANAPOLIS — Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles' Gold Over America Tour made a stop in Indianapolis Friday night.

Thousands attended the show to watch her tumble along with other world champions.

It's not every day the most decorated gymnast of all time, Simone Biles, is in town along with other powerhouse gymnasts. People of all ages were there saying how Biles' journey has inspired them to keep going.

"We gotta go see the gymnasts! The USA! The USA! The USA!" chanted Kathy Whitson.

Their performance is part of their mission to empower female gymnasts.

Lucy Ray said she wants to be just like them when she grows up, a champion.

"I love gymnastics," she said.

"She wanted to see the girls and see what they could do," Lucy's mother said. "She wants to aspire to be more like them."

It's been a challenging year for Biles.

She pulled herself out of the Tokyo Olympics this past summer after battling the "twisties," which is a mental block of getting lost in the air, as she has described.

"That happens in real life. They see it daily where a lot of people don't get to and they knew exactly what she was going through," said Connie Clark.

Clark's daughter became a gymnast at just five years old.

As a mom, Clark says she's familiar with the challenges of the sport.

"It's tough. It's tough. They spend so much time working on skills sometimes they get and sometimes they don't get, and sometimes they are disappointed and sometimes they see their greatness," she said.

Delaney Camstra spent 12 years of her life in gymnastics.

She recently decided to let it go, explaining it became too much on her body.

Her courage to give it up came from Biles.

"I got a lot of inspiration from Simone because she was like, I gotta do what's best for me, so I decided that I should do what's best for me too," she said.

Her bravery and will to keep fighting have touched the nation.

"To see Simone and the rest of the girls, any of the other girls that competed because I so admire them. I can't walk on a balance beam, so I admire them," said Risa Stockton.

Friday night, Biles let thousands in the stands know there is something golden in every single of them.

"We keep it moving and we get to the gold in all of us," Biles said.

The gymnasts have 11 more stops to go on their tour and we wish them the best of luck.