Simone Biles became a gymnastics sensation from a young age, competing heads and shoulders above her peers. Her senior elite-level victories are one for the books. Biles became the most decorated gymnast in World Championship history in 2015 and earned five medals at her first Olympic Games in 2016.

But to reach great heights in her career, Biles sacrificed a lot in her youth. Where adolescents attended school, went to arcades, and partied with their friends, the gymnast spent her days in training for the next big competition.

Simone Biles picked gymnastics over a normal high school life

When Simone Biles turned 14, she faced the biggest crossroads in her life. She could either go to a public school like all the kids her age and give up her dreams of turning elite or focus on gymnastics training and get home-schooled. Her parents trusted her to choose for herself.

“I told her, ‘Whatever choice you make, I will support you,’” Nellie Biles told the Washington Post. “‘But you have to make that decision; it cannot be me because this is really a change in your life.’” Naturally, Biles was reluctant to give up her chance at a thriving social life.

“All my friends went” to public school, she explained. “The football games, just being a normal kid — I don’t think anyone really wants to [be] home-schooled by themselves for four years.” The 14-year-old had a tough decision to make.

READ MORE: “Didn’t Think She Was Good Enough”: Simone Biles’ Mother Once Revealed, How the Gymnast Struggled With Self-Esteem

In the end, the gymnast chose her career in the sport, and she stuck with that decision. She faced issues with self-esteem, and sometimes even a gold medal on the world stage wouldn’t convince her she was doing well. But she improved at a rapid pace and became practically unbeatable in her top condition.

Nellie Biles asked her daughter if she regretted her decision

Simone Biles’ parents, Ron and Nellie Biles supported her throughout her life. They cheered for her from the stands at competitions and took the center spot in her support system. So when Biles earned her diploma. Her mother wanted to know if she ever regretted her decision to be homeschooled.

The question took the gymnastics GOAT by surprise at once. “I can’t believe that question,” she exclaimed. But she gave her mother a serious answer. “Well, Mom,” she started, according to Nellie. “I have lost so much. By giving up public school, I lost a lot of friends because we don’t have the same interests. I don’t do this ‘hanging out,’ whatever that is.” 

Biles explained she lost out on all the joys of adolescent youth. “I’ve never gone to someone’s party, so I don’t know what they do there. And I’ve never gone to a homecoming; never a prom,” she continued. But none of that made her feel like if she could do it over again, she’d do it differently.

“I gave up a lot, but I made the right decision because look what I’ve accomplished,” she concluded. She became the undisputed GOAT of the sport, so her sacrifices certainly paid off.

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