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UNSPECIFIED – OCTOBER 05: In this screengrab, Simone Biles presents the Gracies Grand Award at the 46th Annual Gracie Awards on October 05, 2021. (Photo by Alliance for Women in Media Foundation/Getty Images for Alliance for Women in Media Foundation)
![](https://image-cdn.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/GettyImages-1345029645.jpg?width=600)
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UNSPECIFIED – OCTOBER 05: In this screengrab, Simone Biles presents the Gracies Grand Award at the 46th Annual Gracie Awards on October 05, 2021. (Photo by Alliance for Women in Media Foundation/Getty Images for Alliance for Women in Media Foundation)
People gifted in specific disciplines start displaying their abilities at a young age. Similarly, Simone Biles, too, began to exhibit athletic prowess early on. However, it was not until she came home with a letter from the gymnastics coaches after a daycare field trip that her parents decided to let her pursue the sport.
One of her brothers, Ron Biles Jr., recounted what it was like growing up with the most decorated gymnast of all time following her victory in the all-around event at the Rio Olympics.
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The game that Simone Biles played as a child
When Biles competed in her Olympic debut in Rio, she was no stranger to the sport. She was already an accomplished gymnast at the World Championships by then. Therefore, people had great hopes for the athlete on her first Olympic appearance. And she did not disappoint!
The gymnast clinched four gold medals in the team, all-around, vault, and floor events, while she secured the bronze in the beam. It made her a celebrated personality, a position she enjoys even today.
READ MORE- Rare Image Shows Gymnastics GOAT Simone Biles With Her Infamous Brother
After winning the all-around event, Biles’ brother, Ron Jr., narrated something that the athlete used to do as a child, which stuck out for her brother. Recollecting the past, Ron Jr. said, “She’d want me to catch her when she bounced off things.”
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Tokyo 2020 Olympics – Gymnastics – Artistic – Women’s Team – Final – Ariake Gymnastics Centre, Tokyo, Japan – July 27, 2021. Simone Biles of the United States in action on the vault. REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson/File Photo SEARCH “OLYMPICS DAY 5” FOR TOKYO 2020 OLYMPICS EDITOR’S CHOICE, SEARCH “REUTERS OLYMPICS TOPIX” FOR ALL EDITOR’S CHOICE PICTURES.
“She was two or three, and she used to use my arm for pull-ups. She’d be smiling and laughing. If I stopped, she’d make me straighten it and hold it for her again. I said, ‘Simone, that’s not normal,’ “ he continued.
Although young Biles was only being playful, similar to children her age, it was not usual for children of that age to do pull-ups. However, the seven-time Olympic medalist kept at it until an incident drew the attention of gymnastics coaches to her.
The time people first noticed Biles’ talent in the sport
In 2003, the athlete visited Bannon’s Gymnastix in Houston, Texas, as part of a daycare field trip. At the venue, Biles, just six years old at the time, started mimicking the moves of the gymnasts.
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She even pulled a back tuck there. A gymnast challenged the child to try the move on the beam after witnessing the feat. Although the gymnast meant it as a joke, Biles proceeded to try her hand at the beam. The child’s disposition surprised the gymnast, and she asked her to stop, but Biles would not stop now. And she soon got on the beam.
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TOKYO, JAPAN – JULY 25: Simone Biles of Team United States competes on balance beam during Women’s Qualification on day two of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Gymnastics Centre on July 25, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Seeing this, the coaches there sent her home with a letter addressed to their parents. It conveyed the abilities she displayed for the sport that day. Moreover, it mentioned her future in the sport if she decided to pursue it.
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DIVE DEEPER- “Having a Hard Time Processing”- Simone Biles Was Left in Pain After Look-Alike Brother’s Arrest
Her parents obliged the coaches’ wish, and a few years later, the crowd at the Rio Olympics witnessed the result of that decision.