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They’re a Perfect 10! Meet Simone Biles’ Supportive Parents Nellie and Ron Biles
U.S. Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles has long credited her parents’ support for her legendary gymnastic career as the most decorated athlete in the sport. In fact, Nellie and Ron Biles stood in for their daughter during the 2024 Olympic Opening Ceremony on July 26.
“The first competition is Sunday, which is women’s qualifier, and so … of course, she needs to rest up before that competition,” the family matriarch told correspondents Snoop Dogg and Hoda Kotb of Simone’s absence. “I spoke to her this morning, and she’s doing great. She’s just in a really good place.”
Who Are Simone Biles’ Parents?
Ron and Nellie Biles married in San Antonio, Texas, in 1977. On January 16, 2017, Simone shared a throwback photo of the couple along with the caption, “HAPPY 40TH ANNIVERSARY TO MY PARENTS! Couple Goals!”
After serving in the U.S. Air Force, Ron became an air traffic controller, while Nellie is a former nurse who went on to co-own numerous Texas nursing homes
The couple share two sons, Ron Biles Jr. and Adam Biles. Ron has a daughter, Shanon Biles, from a previous relationship. She was born in 1974, three years before he wed Nellie.
Was Simone Biles Adopted?
Shanon gave birth to Simone on March 14, 1997, in Columbus, Ohio. She was the third of her biological mom’s four children, but Shanon was unable to care for her kids due to alcohol and drug issues. Simone was 3 years old when she and her siblings were sent to live in foster care.
Ron stepped in and brought Shanon’s two youngest daughters, Simone and Adria, to live with him and Nellie in Spring, Texas. The future Olympic great was adopted by her grandparents when she was 6 years old and said she considers them her parents.
“The social worker called and said the kids were in foster care,” Ron told Time in a 2016 profile about Simone. “I said, ’send them to me.'”
Since Shanon still had parental rights, Ron and Nellie weren’t able to adopt Simone and Adria until they were put up for adoption when their biological mother was deemed unfit to care for them. On Christmas Eve 2022, Ron and Nellie became Simone and Adria’s legal parents.
“When I was younger, I thought every kid was adopted,” Simone told Time. “I didn’t understand why people made it such a big deal. To me it’s just normal.”
“I wonder what my life would be like if none of this happened,” she continued. “I want to know why my mother did what she did. But those aren’t questions for me because that was her lifestyle when I wasn’t even born. I have everything I need so there are no blanks left unfilled. I never felt I had questions or needed answers or had a part of me that was missing.”
Does Simone Biles Have a Relationship With Shanon Biles?
The pair seldom speak. In 2016, Shanon told The Daily Mail, “When I talk to Simone, it’s a brief conversation, like, ‘I miss you, I love you, I can’t wait to see you, I’m proud of you, I’m watching. You go girl.’ It’s never anything personal.”
Shanon added that she didn’t want to interfere with the parental bond Simone has with Ron and Nellie. “I don’t want to overstep my boundaries with my dad because I appreciate everything he has done,” she explained.
Who Is Simone Biles’ Biological Father?
Simone’s biological dad is Kelvin Clemons, although the pair do not speak or have a relationship. He and Shanon met as teenagers and he struggled with his own addiction issues.
Shanon told The Daily Mail that, while Kelvin wasn’t in contact with Simone, he was following her success at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
“He just called me Sunday. I said, ‘I’m watching Simone, are you watching her? Are you watching her? Call me back later,'” she told the outlet, adding, “He knows that’s his daughter and he’s very proud of her.”
How Did Ron and Nellie Biles Support Simone Biles’ Gymnastics Career?
Simone was an active child and, after a day care field trip to a gymnastics center, she instantly fell in love with the sport. Nellie enrolled Simone a gymnastics class at the age of 6, and told People in 2016 it “was history from there.”
“She never missed a practice. Even if she was sick, I would tell her she should stay home and she would say ‘No, I have to go to practice!’”
“[They] support me in any way possible,” Simone told the outlet. “My parents make sure we have everything we need so that we compete to the best of our abilities.”
Ron and Nellie purchased the World Champions Centre training facility in Spring, Texas, in 2014. It became Simone’s home base for training and as of 2024, it was also home to her Team USA Paris Olympics teammates Jordan Chiles and Joscelyn Roberson.
Simone gushed in June 2021, “Appreciation post for my sweet parents. Thanks for making sacrifices since day 1 so I can live out my dream. but most importantly thanks for always being there for me through all the highs and lows. You guys are the absolute best. I love y’all,” beside photos of the trio.
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