Before making her mark as the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history, Simone Biles was just a kid to her parents, Ronald and Nellie Biles.
Ronald and Nellie Biles as well as their extended family, including Simone Biles’ husband, Jonathan Owens, were in the stands in Paris on July 30, cheering on Simone Biles and Team USA as they competed in the 2024 Olympics’ women’s gymnastics final.
Simone Biles and her teammates — Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, Hezly Rivera and Jade Carey — carried the U.S. to gold in the team event.
After the competition, Simone Biles sweetly called out her dad for using binoculars to see her better in Paris, writing on Instagram alongside a photo of Ronald Biles, “my dad & his binoculars is soooo freaking cute.”
Ronald Biles, Simone Biles’ biological grandfather, and his wife of over 40 years, Nellie Biles, adopted Simone Biles when she was 6, after she and her three siblings were placed in foster care due to their mom’s issues with substance abuse.
Simone Biles and her sister Adria Biles were adopted by Ronald and Nellie Biles in Texas, while their two older siblings were adopted by a great-aunt in Ohio.
In an episode of her Facebook Watch series, titled “Simone vs Herself,” Simone Biles opened up about her upbringing.
“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,” she shared. “We were very fortunate that we actually got to stay with our siblings because a lot of the time you either get regrouped from home to home to home, or you and your siblings get split up.”
Simone Biles has credited her success to Ronald and Nellie Biles and has expressed her gratitude for their support and presence in her life.
