“A Little Girl Told Me That”: Simone Biles’ Mother Once Revealed the Proudest Moment She Experienced With Her Daughter

Published 08/05/2022, 8:45 AM EDT

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Simone Biles began building her skills in gymnastics at 6, a little later than her peers, who started training as toddlers. But her innate talent and quick learning ability helped her catch up in no time. Of course, it took a lot of hours of rigorous training for her to develop her skills.

To reach the standard of excellence that Biles did, she had to sacrifice a lot in her life. Quickly, Biles became the most dominating gymnast in the field, securing the highest number of World Championship medals in history.

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When Simone Biles made her mother proud

Talking to CBN news, Simone Biles’ mother, Nellie Biles, revealed that the young gymnast had a great conviction from a young age. She had a passion for the sport and wanted to pursue it to the highest level at any cost, an admirable decision for a youngster.

“The fact that Simone made a difficult decision at an early age made her a stronger person,” said Nellie. “I think the proudest moment I had of Simone’s life is her talking to me and telling me she wants to go an elite track of gymnastics to compete for her country. A little girl told me that and she did it.”

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When the Olympic champion graduated middle school, she had to decide on whether she wanted to go to public school or dedicate her time to gymnastics. If she chose the former, she wouldn’t have to sacrifice her social life and enjoy school activities with her friends. 

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On the other hand, if she wanted to hone her skills and become an elite gymnast, she would need homeschooling so that her schedule could flexibly accommodate training hours. It proved to be a tough decision for the adolescent, but in the end, she chose to compete for her country.

Young Biles made a lot of sacrifices

When Simone Biles found herself stuck at the crossroads, her first instinct made her want to choose both options. She insisted that she could juggle going to the local high school and giving her all in training at the gym. But the schools wouldn’t make an exception.

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So she wrestled with the decision for a long time, her parents wanting her to choose for herself. Her mother told her, “Whatever choice you make, I will support you. But you have to make that decision; it cannot be me because this is really a change in your life.”

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Biles chose to advance her gymnastics career and stood by that decision. She explained that she lost out on many things because of it. “By giving up public school, I lost a lot of friends because we don’t have the same interests. I don’t do this ‘hanging out,’ whatever that is.”

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She continued, “I’ve never gone to someone’s party, so I don’t know what they do there. And I’ve never gone to a homecoming; never a prom.” Despite foregoing typical adolescence, the gymnastics GOAT doesn’t regret her decision in the least. 

WATCH THIS STORY: Everything You Need To Know About Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens’ Big Wedding

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Written by:

Mansi Jain

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Mansi Jain is a US Sports author for EssentiallySports. She has a Bachelor's degree in Multimedia and Mass Communication from the University of Delhi and has also previously interned for HT Media. She is always one mention of Yuzuru Hanyu away from delivering an hour-long speech about the athlete's legacy.
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Edited by:

Simar Singh Wadhwa