What is it that first comes to your mind when you think of Simone Biles? Most people think about her athleticism, which is certainly worth considering but she has also had a difficult road up to this point.
This really came to light after she had a historic win at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She shared a story on Instagram of Ronald Biles, her biological grandfather, who also adopted her along with his wife.
This led to Simone opening up about her childhood and how her biological mother did not care for the children properly. In fact, they were starving as a result of her struggle with drug and alcohol abuse.
These things occurred a long time before she was an athletic star. It happened when she was a baby, as her mother was dependent on drugs and alcohol and could not care for the four children she had.
She spoke about her experience as a child and the difficulty she faced with her addict mom. “When my siblings and I entered foster care, it was because our biological mom was struggling with drug and alcohol abuse. I was three years old,” she said.
— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) August 16, 2022
“I just remember, like, us as kids being so hungry and then I just remember this cat that would get fed and not like…us,” she shares in the clip. “And so we were taken and, thankfully, we actually got to stay in one foster home and we were all together…it was some of the best times ever. We were just so excited.”
On one particular day, a school trip had been rained out and her life changed at that time. She said: “I never, ever, thought about gymnastics as a sport to put Simone in, that never entered my mind. I remember it was a field trip, but it rained so they did not go to this farm or wherever they were supposed to go and instead they went to Bannon’s Gymnastix.”
She even admitted that she never watched gymnastics on TV or paid attention to it in magazines.
Something else that she speaks about is the importance of having her grandparents at the event. She said: “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.”
Life has not been easy for this Olympic athlete but she is making history. We are so thankful for her strength and overcoming the difficult childhood to be an inspiration for all of us.
