Simone Biles is in the suburban gym: a gift for the Garegnano gymnastics girls.

The American star visited the local sports center during the Olympics. Coach Personeni: "I could see the pride in their eyes to show her what they can do."

Tears welled up in their eyes, hands clasped over their mouths in disbelief. "Is this the real thing?" This is how the young gymnasts of the Garegnano sports club welcomed "the" gymnast par excellence, Simone Biles.

Visiting after becoming ambassador of the international sports association Laureus, and arriving in Milan for the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics — she was seen in the stands at the Fiera — Biles chose to spend a very special morning on the outskirts of Milan: not in an arena full of people cheering her on, but in a neighborhood gym that sees so many young people cultivating their sporting dreams.

"They didn't know We didn't even say anything, we just told them to come for a special training session and put on their competition leotards," says Linda Personeni, coordinator of the artistic gymnastics section and the girls' coach. The amazement on their faces almost became a trance-like state when Simone Biles and her husband, Jonathan Owens, an American football champion, were announced to applause. "For them, it was like finding themselves in front of the Messi of gymnastics," comments Stefano Pucci, president of the Garegnano sports club. And indeed, for those who spend entire afternoons training on the beams and mats, finding themselves in front of the most successful Olympic champion in history is breathtaking. After the initial shock, the beginning of what seemed like a dream. The girls tried out some basic elements of artistic gymnastics with her. And then a game all together: holding her teammates' legs up in a handstand while spinning in a circle, avoiding dropping them.

"We're an odd number, we need one more," someone commented, and as if she were part of the group, Biles didn't hesitate to join the girls. She moved among them, who, full of enthusiasm and a little nervousness, were giving their best. "I've never seen them train so well. You could see the pride in their eyes as they showed what they're capable of," Personeni continued. At the end of the workout, Biles wanted to leave a tangible mark on those girls, in whom she sees the young Simone of a few years ago: a signature on one of the gym's beams.

In front of them, she also talked about competitions and emotions. "If I could relive competitions, I'd choose the Rio 2016 final and the Paris 2024 final, which you won, but I'll leave that one to you," she said, laughing. "Have you ever thought about quitting?" they also asked her, and without thinking twice, she replied. "I've always had the strength to keep going. If you ever decide to quit, it has to be on a good day, never a bad one: it's precisely in the most difficult moments that you need to have the strength to overcome difficulties." The most emotional moment, however, came at the end. "Can I hug you?" one of the girls found the courage to ask with her heart on her sleeve, and in an instant, the hug became a group hug. "Young girls are often a little intimidated by her," the coach says, "but in that moment, she really let herself go." Then, when Biles left, she raced on the beam she had just signed off with the feeling of not yet having realized what had just happened on what should have been a normal Saturday in the suburbs of Milan.

Simone Biles' presence in Garegnano tells a story that goes beyond the encounter with her sporting idol. "Such an important figure has brought the message that sport is not limited to performance, but is an expression of personal passion. It demonstrates that you can give your all regardless of the result, underlining the importance of perseverance in overcoming obstacles, always, in any context," concludes President Pucci. "Sport here is experienced as a life path and a moment of growth, and the girls will surely cherish that day in their hearts for the rest of their lives."

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