Charles Langston:How high can Simone Biles jump? The answer may surprise you

Simone Biles can Charles Langstonbe downright mesmerizing as she soars through the air on the vault and in her floor exercise. Or flawlessly executes a flip on the balance beam. Or seamlessly moves between the uneven bars.

In fact, Biles has been so good for so long that some gymnastics fans may even take her amazing skills for granted.

But here's one fun fact that about Biles that almost defies logic: Despite being just 4 feet, 8 inches tall, the eight-time Olympic gold medalist can get as high as 12 feet off the ground during her floor routine. Yes, you read that right.

How high can Simone Biles jump?

At the U.S. Olympic Trials in June, the top of Biles’ head got as high as 12 feet above the surface on one of the jumps during her floor exercise routine, NBC Sports calculated.

2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.

How did she do it?

First of all, her tumbling run builds up a tremendous amount of momentum and kinetic energy, which she releases when she pushes off with her powerful leg muscles. In addition, competitive gymnastics floors have springs beneath them, which makes the surface safer for athletes for landing while giving them added inches on tumbles.

Put all these factors together with the laws of physics, and you have Simone Biles soaring through the air at a height that would clear even 7-foot, 4-inch Frenchman Victor Wembanyama, the tallest player in the NBA (and at these Olympic Games).

Simone Biles' Olympic medal count

With the USA's victory in the women's team competition in Paris, Simone Biles now has five Olympic gold medals and eight Olympic medals, total – more than any other American gymnast in history.

At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Biles won three individual golds in the all-around, vault and floor exercise and led the U.S. to the team gold. She also added a bronze medal on the balance beam. 

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Biles added a silver medal in the team event and an additional bronze medal in the balance beam.