Simone Biles Is An Olympic Superhero In New Art Tribute
Simone Biles has been dominating this year's Olympics in Rio, having already earned three gold medals with the possibility of winning a fourth one in her last competition for the event — the women's floor exercise. At 19 years old Biles still has so much to achieve with her career as a gymnast, but she's already accomplished a lot and inspired future black female gymnasts that want to follow in her footsteps.
Which is why Aza Comics has created a tribute for the Rio standout.
Crafted by Aza Comics creator Jazmin Truesdale (with assistance from illustrator Remero Colston) the tribute portrays Biles as a superhero, as the light reddish glow surrounding her represents how the Olympian's body "activates" when she's about to perform her routine.
"Physically, no one in gymnastics has seen anyone like her," Truesdale told The Huffington Post. "The height that she gets and the velocity at which she does it...she's a freaking superhero."
Aside from her physical attributes, what Truesdale likes ever more about Biles is her personality, which is often described as bubbly and giggly.
"A few months ago [Biles] winked at 2008 Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson, who was sitting in the audience, while performing her floor routine. Fans loved it but she got some flack for it and basically made the statement of, 'I'm going to be me, I don't care if I lose a tenth,'" Truesdale said. "I love that element of her personality. She competes with herself, not other people, and is unapologetic about who she is."
Once a gymnast herself Truesdale has been following Biles since 2013, which ultimately led to her tribute to the talented 19-year-old. "...I was talking to my illustrator and I said, 'I really want to do something because I don't think we'll ever see a gymnast like her ever again,'" Truesdale told USA Today. "I can't imagine it."
You can check out Aza Comics' website to see what other versions of biles the comic book company will be putting up. The website also has an awesome tribute to FLOTUS Michelle Obama, which can be viewed here.
