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.
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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.
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.
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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.”
“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.
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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Her parents obliged the coaches’ wish, and a few years later, the crowd at the Rio Olympics witnessed the result of that decision.