Before her parents watched her moving performance through tears, Simone said, “Even though there’s no right words, maybe a dance will say it for me.”
Tokyo Olympics
Her biggest cheerleaders, Nellie and Ronald attend every meet, watching Simone slay the competition.
“It really doesn’t matter where we are, which competition it is, she knows where we’re sitting. She can hear me, I know that because I scream so loud,” Nellie shares in the Facebook clip.
The only event the Biles couple missed was the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where fans were not allowed due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Explaining that she has a “bad habit” of trying to locate her mom and dad in the crowd, Simone said she was “kind of nervous” to compete without her parents watching.
“I don’t feel set and comfortable until I find where they are in the crowd. I just get really antsy and once I see them, I feel that it calms me down to know that they’re in the arena.”
Before pulling out to prioritize her health as she dealt with a case of what gymnasts call the ‘twisties,’ Simone called her mom who gave her the best advice.
“I don’t want you going out there if you’re not in a good place. You don’t need to go out there and hurt yourself. That’s just not right, okay? You need to take care of yourself,” Nellie said.
“I love you. Just take some deep breaths and just know that we’re praying for you.”
New Cheerleader
In 2023, Simone added one new team member to her personal cheer squad: Jonathan Owens, a football player with the Chicago Bears who she married on April 22, 2023.
Speaking with People Simone shares that her mom helped her plan the destination wedding in Mexico, a larger ceremony in May that followed the couple’s courthouse nuptials in April.
“She’s someone I can bounce things off of and has been letting me do my thing as I figure out what works for us,” said Simone. “We are so excited to celebrate with our close circle, and she’s a big part of that.”
“My mom gives me advice on everything,” she added. “I look to both her and my dad as role models in many ways, but also as examples of what a strong base of love and support looks like.”
‘Re-writing her story’
On August 5, the gymnast finished her last floor routine at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Cheering from the audience was Nellie and Ronald along with Owens, who took time off training camp with his NFL team to support his wife.
bonjour ? pic.twitter.com/u8tzCwqqA6
— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) July 1, 2024
In an interview with People, Nellie shares that her daughter’s challenging experience in Tokyo makes her Paris Olympic showing even more exceptional: “To work through that and be in this place where she enjoys doing what she wants…this is rewriting her story. It’s rewriting it on her terms because she is in this place that she really perhaps wished she would have been for years.”
Meanwhile, speaking with Hoda Kotb of Today, Simone says Ronald and Nellie were “really excited” to again be cheering their daughter live from the stands.
“They missed Tokyo, so this was like a cherry on top for them. Paris is such a beautiful city, and seeing all the girls compete – and almost the same exact girls as in Tokyo – so they were just, like, ecstatic.”
Then, in the August 6 interview, Kotb asks Simone, “if you had to answer this question: ‘If not for blank, I would not be here today.’ If not for blank … who’s that person?”
Without skipping a beat, Simone replies: “If not for my parents and adoption, I wouldn’t be here today.”
What are your thoughts on Simone Biles and her loving support system? Please let us know what you think and then share this story so we can hear what others have to say!
Also, make sure you congratulate the athlete on her tremendous accomplishments at the 2024 Paris Olympics!
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