“There’s Nothing I Can Do From Over Here”: Simone Biles Felt Helpless After Knowing About Aunt’s Sudden Death When She Was Miles Away From Her Family in 2021

Simone Biles, the legendary gymnast redefined the idea of a celebrity sports perso, with her awe-inspiring skills and emphatic stand on sensitive issues like mental health, self-identity, and body image. By becoming the youngest recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, she made millions of her fans proud and happy for the recognition, especially her family. Simone has admitted openly on several occasions that she owes her success to her parents.

Despite the glory and stardom, the seven-time Olympic medalist, carries a humble and friendly attitude as seen in her posts and chats on talk shows. Although they are not her biological parents, Ron and Nellie have been hugely caring and understanding since her childhood. The gymnast icon also shares a great rapport with her other family members. The Tokyo 2020 Olympics was an overwhelming experience for several reasons. Adding to the then ongoing distress about the pandemic restrictions and uncertainty was the news of her aunt’s death. 

Simone Biles felt helpless

It was the first time that Ron and Nellie couldn’t be there to cheer for her. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics was conducted with a strict protocol to ensure there was no outbreak of Covid-19 cases. Hence there was no permission for spectators. Simone took to Twitter to share how hard it was for her.

Simone showed immense strength during the helpless phase. Right after her beam performance, she learned about her aunt’s sudden death. Simone’s coach,Landi, understood the gymnast’s situation and prayed that the week needed to be over soon.

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When asked what she wanted, the gymnast said she just needed some time. In a call with her parents, she helplessly said, “There’s nothing I can do from over here. So I’m just going to finish my week and when I get home we’ll deal with it.”

Ron and Nellie are Simone’s biggest support system

Although they weren’t in person at the Olympics, they were in constant touch with Simone through FaceTime. Simone revealed in a press conference that after she had won a bronze medal for her balance beam routine, she FaceTimed her parents. “It was my mom, my dad, my brother, my sister-in-law, my godparents. They just wanted to say hi and stuff like that. But given the time change, they’re 14 hours behind so usually at night, I’ll FaceTime them or in the morning.” She also expressed that connecting with them every day made her feel nice and reassured.

After Simone finished her run in the Tokyo Games, the Team USA gymnast returned home with two medals. She had the best reunion with her parents. Fair to say, she desperately waited for the moment. She also posted a few emotional pictures on her Instagram with the caption, “Houston, I’m home. Thanks for making sure I didn’t have to wait one more minute to see my family @united.”

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