Simone Biles was diagnosed with ADHD as a child and has taken medication for it since. In September 2016, Russian hackers broke into the World Anti-Doping Agency database and leaked the medical records of several U.S. Olympic athletes, including Biles. The goal was to imply she had cheated at the Rio Olympics by using a banned stimulant.
The stimulant was Ritalin. She had a therapeutic use exemption. She had followed every rule. USA Gymnastics confirmed it. The International Gymnastics Federation confirmed it.
Her response was two sentences, posted publicly, and then she was done with the conversation.
"I have ADHD and I have taken medicine for it since I was a kid. Having ADHD, and taking medicine for it is nothing to be ashamed of, nothing that I'm afraid to let people know."
The hackers were counting on shame. They didn’t find any.
What “diagnosed as a kid” actually looks like
Unlike Henry Winkler, who didn’t find out he had dyslexia until he was 31, or Barbara Corcoran, who failed second grade before anyone understood why, Biles didn’t spend decades not knowing what was wrong. She was diagnosed young, medicated young, and the medication worked.
And it still didn’t feel like a clean win, because what nobody talks about is what it costs a kid to grow up knowing their brain is categorized differently. The label follows you. Other kids find out. Teachers treat you differently. You learn early that some information about yourself is safer kept quiet.
So she kept it quiet. Her ADHD was private medical information, between her and her doctor, until someone decided to weaponize it.
The focus wasn’t missing. It was selective.
Biles has said that even with ADHD she could be laser-focused in the gym. That sentence tends to get used as inspiration. It’s more interesting than that.
The same brain that struggled to concentrate in school locked in completely when she was doing something it found rewarding. The ADHD didn’t disappear. The context changed. This is the pattern parents of kids who “won’t focus” already know but rarely hear confirmed: the attention works. It just works on its own terms.
The ADHD brain that couldn’t sit still in school ended up doing double-double dismounts on the balance beam at the Olympics. She went on to win 30 World Championship medals and 7 Olympic gold medals across two Games. She has moves named after her that no other gymnast was willing to attempt first.
What this means if your kid takes medication
The stigma around ADHD medication is almost entirely about shame. The medication is prescribed by a doctor. It treats a real condition. It works. The only thing left is the cultural story that says a kid who needs help with their brain chemistry is somehow lesser than a kid who doesn’t.
Biles took her medication every morning of her career. The two things, the medals and the medication, were not in conflict. The second one made the first one possible.
That is worth saying out loud to your kid, not once but regularly. The medication is part of what makes the rest possible. It is not a secret. It is not a compromise. It is just how the brain gets what it needs.