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Simone Biles, famously known as one of the Greatest Gymnasts of All Time, is returning to the Olympics in 2024 after unexpectedly withdrawing from the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo. The athlete experienced a case of “The Twisties” at the 32nd Olympic Games, causing her early exit and following break from competitive gymnastics. The instance sparked a conversation around the psychological phenomenon of the Twisties, paving the path for productive discussions surrounding the topic to take place.
In the Netflix documentary series, ‘Simone Biles: Rising,’ the narrative delves into the same, presenting the story of the athlete’s return after her hiatus. In the aftermath of the Twisties, Biles’ friends, family, and other support systems played a crucial role in her journey of restoration. Consequently, as fans garner a bit more understanding about her familial background, intrigue arises about the world-famous gymnast’s parents, Ron and Nellie Biles.
Ron and Nellie Biles Adopted Simone When She was Six
Since Simone Biles’ biological mother, Shanon Biles, was battling addiction during the former’s childhood, the authorities had to put Simone and her siblings in the foster care system. As a result, she spent her early childhood, from the age of three to six, as a foster kid. During that time, Shannon’s parents, Ronald and Nellie Biles, remained in touch with the kids. In her 2017 participation in ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ the athlete spoke about the same and said, “Whenever we had visits with my grandpa [Ron], I was so excited. That was the person I always wanted to see walk into the foster home.”
Eventually, Ron and Nellie formally adopted two of Shannon’s children, Simone and her sister, Adria, in 2003. Speaking about the same in a documentary series, ‘Simone vs Herself,’ Nellie said, “[But then] You wake up one day, and you realize that you would do anything for these children. And that you would die for these children. And when that feeling comes, that’s when you know you are truly a mother.”
Thus, Simone and Adria permanently moved to Houston, Texas, to grow up under the care of their new parents. Shortly afterward, Ron and Nellie enrolled both girls in gymnastics classes after Simone became fascinated with the sport following a daycare field trip. As a result, they created a space to stoke their daughter’s gifted skills, setting up the dominoes for her to begin competitive gymnastics. As Simone began her professional career in gymnastics, her parents remained a fixture in the events as spectators to showcase their support.
Ron and Nellie Biles Built a Gymnastics Facility for Simone
In the 2013 World Championships, Simone Biles won her first all-around gold medal. Consequently, she made history, becoming the first African-American to win the title. However, a hurdle presented itself to the young athlete when her coach, Aimee Boorman, decided to leave the establishment where Simone trained — Bannon’s Gymnastix. At that time, her mother, Nellie Biles, realized the instance could be detrimental to her daughter’s training as it would force her to change gyms at a time when she was in her prime competition years.
For the same reason, Nellie decided to construct her own gymnastics center. “It was the most stupid thing,” she told Houston Chronicle. “I said, let me just build one!” As such, she sold a group of nursing homes that she co-owned and decided to invest in the World Champions Center. Nellie designed the facility herself, using the knowledge she gathered through observing her daughter’s training over the years. The Biles family also wanted to ensure that the efforts they put into WCC bore results outside of Simone’s career.
Today, the establishment stands as the home to numerous Olympic athletes, including Jordan Chiles, Joscelyn Roberson, & France’s Melanie De Jesus Dos Santos. Moreover, they also host a podcast, The Official WCC Podcast, which provides insight into their facility. As a result, the gym retains a significant standing in the current gymnastics world. “It’s almost on a razor’s edge between high-level international competition versus crossing the line into being unsafe,” said Zach Francis, the establishment’s general manager. “To my knowledge, no other gyms opened by parents of Olympians or aspiring Olympians have found the level of success the Bileses have had here.”
Ron and Nellie Biles are Excited to Cheer For Their Daughter in the 2024 Olympics
In 2021, as the Tokyo Olympics were unfolding, it marked a first in the Biles family, as Ron and Nellie couldn’t attend the games to showcase their support for Simone in person. The athlete has a habit of making herself privy to her parents’ seatings for her competitions beforehand to retain a sense of connection. As such, their startling absence remained a point of contention for Simone, enhancing the experience’s existing issues.
Following Simone’s decision to withdraw from the competition, Ron and Nellie both supported her choice. In 2022, when their daughter became the youngest person to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, both her parents were by her side. Similarly, now that Simone has returned to the Olympics, so has her family’s supportive cheers from the stands. During her June 2nd competition at the Paris Olympics in 2024, the media spotted Nellie amongst the crowd, alongside several other family members, including the Olympic gymnast’s husband and NFL player, Jonathan Owens.
Likewise, Nellie continues to share her daughter’s various achievements on her Instagram account, affirming her pride in her daughter. Even though Ron has no social media presence, fans can find updates about him on his wife’s account, where she often shares tidbits of their life together. Apart from Simone and Adria, the couple are also parents to two biological sons, Ronald Jr. and Adam— both of whom lead a much more private life than their sister. Yet, they naturally make frequent appearances across Nellie’s feed.
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