On Tuesday, July 30, Simone Biles shared an Instagram story of Ronald Biles witnessing her compete after her historic victory at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Simone describes her biological grandfather, who, along with his wife, adopted the athlete, who is now an eight-time Olympic medalist, after she was placed in foster care at the age of three. “My dad and his binoculars are so freaking cute,” she writes.
Simone, the most decorated American gymnast, disclosed her childhood, during which she and her siblings were starving under the supervision of her biological mother, who was “struggling with drug and alcohol abuse.” Continue reading to discover the story of this athlete who inspires.
Simone Biles, who is 26 years old, was residing in foster care with her siblings, Adria, Tevin, and Ashley, in the years prior to her success in flipping, launching, and twirling.
Shanon, Simone’s biological mother, was incapable of providing for her four children due to her alcohol and substance addiction.
“It was difficult to relinquish my children, but I was compelled to do so because I was unable to provide for them,” Shanon stated to the Daily Mail. She also mentioned that the children’s father, who is also an addict, was not present.
Speaking with CNN, Simone candidly speaks of her experience as a child and the “hardships” she experienced 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 tells CNN.
Two decades later, she still has vivid memories of starving.
In the video, she recalls “we were so hungry as children, and then I remember this cat that would get fed, but not us.” “And so we were taken, and, fortunately, we were able to stay in a single foster home, where we were all together.”
The experiences were among the most enjoyable of all time. We were ecstatic.
🫶🏾🦋👑👩🏽🤝👩🏾 pic.twitter.com/dnDuHh9aiT
— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) August 16, 2022
Simone’s grandparents, Ronald and Nellie Biles, who adopted her at the age of six, and her younger sister, Adria, who is now 24 years old, made frequent visits, which only served to heighten the enthusiasm.
“I wanted to take care of Adria obviously because she was the baby,” Simone said on her Facebook Watch series, Simone vs. Herself. “I just felt like I needed to look out for her because if family doesn’t look out for you, who’s going to?”
Their siblings Tevin and Ashley were adopted by Ronald’s sister and raised in Cleveland, Ohio.