Getty Simone Biles poses with her adopted parents, Nellie Biles and Ronald Biles.
Simone Biles will have a big support system behind her as she aims for gold at the Paris Olympics.
The 27-year-old gymnast has given credit to her adopted parents, Nellie and Ronald Biles, for their support and has leaned on the pair in some of her more difficult times. Biles said it was their sacrifices that allowed her to become one of the world’s top athletes.
But the pair was unable to attend one of the biggest moments of her career. Biles noted that her family never missed a competition, but attendees were barred from the Tokyo Olympics due to pandemic restrictions, forcing them to watch from home.
As she returns to the biggest stage at the Paris Olympics, Biles can once again have the support — and presence — of her biggest supporters.
Simone Biles Discusses Foster Care, Being Adopted by Grandparents
Biles spoke about her upbringing in the 2021 Facebook Watch series “Simone vs. Herself,” discussing how she and her three siblings were placed in foster care when she was 3 as her biological mother struggled with drug and alcohol addiction.
Her mother was in and out of jail and the children sometimes went without food, Biles shared.
“I don’t remember a lot about foster care, but I definitely knew that we had been taken from our biological mom and then you just think you’re going to go back to her,” Biles said.
Biles said she was “fortunate” to be able to stay with her siblings instead of being split up into different homes, but always had the support of her maternal grandparents.
Biles’ grandmother said she also cherished the moments spent with Biles and her siblings.
“I remember praying for that bonding … because telling them that you love them and you care for them; that’s all words,” Nellie Biles said. “But then you wake up one day, and you realize that you would do anything for these children. And that you would die for these children. And when that feeling comes, that’s when you know you are truly a mother.”
Biles and her younger sister were adopted by her grandparents — who she calls Mom and Dad — when she was 6.
“Being separated from my biological mom, being placed in foster care before I officially got adopted by my grandparents, it just set me up for a better route at life,” Biles said. “I feel like I wouldn’t be where I am unless that turning point happened.”
Simone Biles Leaned on Her Mom in Difficult Moment
Biles leaned on her mom in one of the toughest moments of her career. After suffering a case of the “twisties,” losing control and orientation while flying through the air, Biles withdrew from several events at the Tokyo Olympics.
In an emotional scene highlighted in the Netflix docuseries “Simone Biles Rising,” the gymnast gave her mom a call to break the news.
“You can’t do it. It’s okay, honey … They will do their best without you,” Nellie Biles said during the call.
Biles later became a support system for others, advocating for mental health and encouraging other athletes to care for themselves.