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It may seem like the entire world is rooting for Olympic gymnast Simone Biles at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but no one’s excitement can even come close her grandmother’s, the woman the American all-star calls “mom.” Nellie Biles is without a doubt Simone's number one fan and always seems to find the right words to say to give the first-time Olympian the perfect burst of encouragement. “Momma Biles” — as Simone calls her — often sends the gymnast supportive messages and these Nellie Biles quotes on Simone Biles prove their family bond is incredibly strong.
The 19-year-old gymnast’s journey to the Olympics started when she was just 6-years-old and was enrolled in her very first tumbling class. Simone was reportedly inspired by what she had seen during a school field trip to the gym and wanted more. Of course, that wasn’t the only pivotal moment that set Simone on the path to the big leagues: It’s now been widely reported that Simone’s father and grandfather, Ron Biles, and his wife, Nellie, adopted the gymnast and her sister, Adria, after their biological mother, Shanon, was unable to care for them. (According to ESPN Magazine, Shanon struggled with alcohol and drug addiction, which left Nellie and Ron Biles legally in charge of the girls.)
Although the first six years of Simone’s life had rough moments — she and her siblings were shuffled between foster homes — her proud mother has been her biggest cheerleader ever since that first gymnastics class and these uplifting and supportive quotes show just how important those moments were in getting Simone to where she is today.
"If you have faith as small as a mustard seed nothing will be impossible for you."
Nellie Biles sent this tweet to Simone just ahead of her showing at the Women's Gymnastics rotations on Sunday, proving that spirituality and determination are equally important in her eyes.
"I really felt numb because, besides crying, I really didn't know how to express my feelings. ... [Simone making it to the Olympics means a lot, because this has always been [her] long-term goal... and as her mother, I'm just extremely proud that she will get to fulfill this dream."
In an interview with Houston Fox affiliate KRIV and network Sports Director Mark Berman, Nellie said her initial reaction to Simone making it to the Olympics was one of shock. "I'm very, very, extremely proud of Simone," she said. "I know that the work is just starting ... [but] I am really, truly proud of that."
"Do not forget to let each tomorrow be better than today."
Nellie isn't afraid to use her personal Twitter account to send messages of encouragement to Simone, like she did with this quote back in July.
"Let's make that long term goal a reality."
In another tweet back in July, Nellie pushed Simone to capture the gold with this simple message, signed "Love, Mom."
"The best thing about being Simone’s mum is looking at your child who sets goals for themselves and works very hard towards their goals. And when you see the outcome, it’s great to be Simone’s mom, it’s a very, very proud feeling."
Nellie once said in an interview with Reuters that, despite being an Olympic athlete, Simone is still just an average teenager. "The worst part of being Simone’s mom is that at times she is a very stubborn 19-year-old teenager that I could just kill at times," she said, which was followed by laughter from both of them.
"I have no idea when it happened but it happened at some point when all the barriers came down. I would do anything for those girls. I would kill for those girls."
In that same interview with Reuters, Nellie Biles said of her sudden shift from grandmother to mother,
Me taking my barriers down and the children taking their barriers down and before you know it there is unconditional love that's there between both of us, or between myself and my husband, and Simone and her sister. That goes for her brothers too, they feel the same way. It’s not something you can plan, it just happens.
Making a decision to adopt Simone and her sister ... it was the best decision we made.
Simone, too, has had only good things to say about her family. In an interview with NBC Olympics, the powerhouse gymnast said that her mother has been giving her pep talks for years.
"It started in 2013 after a little bit before I made the world [championships] team," Simone told NBC, adding,
I used to be so hard on myself and she’s like, "You know what, just go out there and be the best Simone that you can be. You don’t have to compete against anybody. It’s just you and yourself out there." So that always just helped me calm me down... I am very fortunate that I have these parents that can come with me and support me and I can go to them after a bad day or after a good day and they’re always still love me. They don’t care what I do because I’m always their Simone.
As the three-time world champion continues to make her way to the top, Simone can count of her mom for perfect words of encouragement, a boost of happiness, and the inspiration to get her through the day.
