Simone Biles talks about sharing her faith and inspiring other people

Jardine Malado Monday, November 28, 2016

Simone Biles of the U.S. poses with her gold medal after the women's individual artistic gymnastics. | REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles said that she shares her Christian faith with other young people so that they would understand how it helps her overcome life's tough challenges.

Biles recently took a break from promoting her autobiography titled "Courage to Soar" as well as her 36-city USA Gymnastics tour to spend time with her family.

In an interview with The Houston Chronicle last week, she mentioned that faith and family plays a big role in her career.

"I wanted to talk about family, competition and things like downfalls and injuries so that kids can understand that I go through those things, too," she said.

"Kids today talk about faith, and I think it's OK for me to share my faith so kids can see how it helps you through the whole process," she added.

Biles hope that her book, which was released earlier this month, would encourage other people to pursue their dreams.

"I want people to reach for their dreams. If you're willing to put in a lot of work, and if you're focused and determined, you can go really far," said the gymnast, as reported by The Christian Post.

She said that there were many people who served as an inspiration to her and she hopes to inspire her readers as well.

In her book, Biles recounted the hardships she went through before she became a successful gymnast. She told her coaches that she wanted to quit when she had difficulties learning one of her routines but they were determined to train her.

"I did say 'no' a lot of times. That's when they had to fling me in the air and force me to do it," said Biles.

Biles won one bronze and four gold medals at the 2016 Olympic Games held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Before the Olympics, she mentioned that she goes to church and lights a candle for St. Sebastian, the patron saint of athletes, before each competition.

She he will not be competing in 2017 but she is preparing for the 2020 Tokyo Games. She will be training at the family-owned gym, World Champions Centre, which opened last year in Montgomery County.