I have a confession: while I’m often bored senseless by most sporting events, I cannot get enough of the Olympics when they come around. Especially the Summer Olympics, with the gymnastics competitions.
Being uncoordinated, gymnastics has always amazed me while being completely out of my area of basic ability.
So I’ve been keeping track of Simone Biles’ amazing rise in the sport and her incredible skill.
In 2013, she made history as the first African-American woman to win gold at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, then followed it up by winning in 2014 and 2015, making her the first woman in history to win three years in a row.
Since then, she’s been setting records and even creating entirely new gymnastic moves .
And throughout it all, her parents Ron and Nellie Biles have been there cheering her on.
After Simone ended up in foster care due to her biological parents’ struggles with substance abuse, she and her younger sister were formally adopted by their grandparents. Ever since then, they’ve just been Mom and Dad.
Simone was full of energy and Nellie enrolled her in gymnastics when she was six.
Her raw talent was spotted by a coach and the rest is history.
RELATED STORIES
Since then, her parents have been by her side as she’s risen through the ranks and made history.
And if you watch closely in the stands during her competitions, you can often see them cheering her on.
It’s not uncommon for savvy networks to make sure they have cameras devoted to watching the families of competitors.
Those cameras have caught their competition rituals too!
Whenever Simone nails a routine, they lean into each other for a smooch. It’s the sweetest!
You’ll have to keep an eye out for them during the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, which Simone has said will be her last trip to the Games.
h/t: Glamour
