Since her childhood, Simone Biles had forged a very close bond with her mother, Nellie Biles. She gave her the best possible care she could and also supported a young Simone in her decision to pursue gymnastics. Following her tragedy in Tokyo, it was her mother who received the first phone call from Simone. And while the entire world was up in arms, Nellie Biles comforted the gymnast, saying, “You can’t do it? That’s okay, honey. That’s okay.”

Nellie’s love for her daughter grew stronger with each passing day. Since childhood, the Olympian’s mother has attended all of Simone’s events, barring the Tokyo Olympics. Nellie Biles, who once worked as a nurse, even went to the extent of sacrificing her career to build the undisputed queen of gymnastics from the ground up. And looking up to her mother, Simone Biles too, almost became a nurse.

Simone Biles had an alternate career path in mind if gymnastics hadn’t worked out

Watching her mother succeed so much in nursing, little Simone also wanted to follow in the same footsteps. Of course, if she didn’t make it in gymnastics, this was her OG backup plan. In a July 2024 interview with Elle, Simone was asked about an alternate career path that she would have chosen. Without hesitating a bit, the Olympian stated, “A NICU nurse, because I love babies. I’ve wanted to be a nurse all my life.”

As a matter of fact, Nellie Biles studied nursing at the University of the Incarnate World in San Antonio. It was during this time that Nellie crossed paths with Ronald, who was posted near San Antonio, as an AirForce Officer. Following her graduation, Nellie Biles took up nursing professionally. She flourished in her career and was soon running a steady business that consisted of a chain of 14 hospitals.

However, despite Simone having backup plans, Nellie Biles was hellbent on making her daughter a gymnastics champion. And in her quest to do so, Nellie soon faced a situation that tested her love for her daughter. Inclined towards gymnastics, Simone Biles trained under Aimee Boorman from childhood. Unfortunately, Simone learnt that Boorman was about to sever her ties with the gym that she used to practice in.

This was a shocker as the departure would mean Simone Biles’ dreams of becoming a champion gymnast would suffer a significant setback. Thankfully, that did not happen as in stepped Nellie Biles. Risking everything for the sake of her daughter, Nellie Biles decided to sell her chain of hospitals. With the funds that came in, she built a gym of their own and convinced Aimee Boorman to continue training Simone Biles.

Nellie’s sacrifice soon bore rich fruits. Aimee Boorman and Simone Biles continued to work together for the next 11 years. It was Boorman’s supervision that helped Simone Biles win 5 Olympic medals at the 2016 Rio Games. Looking back at all the sacrifices made by her parents, Simone Biles is filled with gratitude towards them.

Biles extends her gratitude towards Nellie and Ronald Biles

Simone Biles once stated that her parents gave her a second shot at life by adopting her. Reflecting about the same in her 2021 Facebook Watch series, Simone vs Herself’, Biles added, “I would still be Simone Biles, probably not Simone Biles that everybody else knows, the world knows.” Meanwhile, Nellie Biles is still wary of Simone’s trauma from Tokyo. Simone’s mother was the firsthand witness of how difficult it was for the champion to recover.

Thus, a concerned Nellie Biles stated, “All I’m thinking about and praying for is that she stays safe and that she ends that routine. I could hardly wait for it to be over with.” Now, with her comeback almost complete, Simone Biles will look to soar high on the gymnastics sky. And Nellie Biles, too, will be right there with her, proudly looking back at all the sacrifices she made.