“Being separated from my biological mom, being placed in foster care before I officially got adopted by my grandparents, it just set me up for a better route at life,” the gymnast said on an episode of her Facebook Watch series, Simone Vs. Herself.

Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles credits much of her success to her parents, Ronald and Nellie Biles, who adopted her and her younger sister, Adria, at age 6.

“Being separated from my biological mom, being placed in foster care before I officially got adopted by my grandparents, it just set me up for a better route at life,” the gymnast said on an episode of her Facebook Watch series, Simone Vs. Herself.

She continued, “I feel like I wouldn’t be where I am unless that turning point happened. I would still be Simone Biles, probably not Simone Biles that everybody else knows, the world knows. But I also believe everything happens for a reason and I’m forever grateful for that because I definitely got a second shot at life.”

Ronald and Nellie are Biles’ biggest fans, and the affection is mutual. “They mean the world to me,” she once said.

Her parents’ support was especially important during the Tokyo Olympics in July 2021, when Biles withdrew from several events to focus on her mental health after experiencing a case of the “twisties,” a phenomenon where she lost her ability to sense her body move in the air, putting her at risk of injury upon landing.

“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,” Biles wrote on Instagram. “You guys are the absolute best. I love y’all.”

She made her elite gymnastics return in August 2023 at the U.S. Classic in Illinois and went on to score three gold medals and one silver at the 2024 Paris Olympics at the team finals, the women’s all-around final, and individual vault and floor events.