Ask any gymnastics enthusiast who the best gymnast in the world is and chances are they will give you one name — Simone Biles. The 19-year-old Texan makes her Olympics debut in Rio as the favorite for the all-around gold. She flawlessly sticks vaults other gymnasts won’t even attempt and her floor routines defy gravity. Where other gymnasts wobble on the balance beam, she is rock solid.
The most amazing thing of all? Adoption gave her the opportunity to compete.
Born in Columbus, Ohio to a mother with an addiction problem, Simone and her siblings bounced around between her mother and the foster care system. Then her grandparents, Nellie and Ron Biles, stepped in. They adopted Simone and her sister and gave them a new life in Texas.
Before too long, “Grandma” and “Grandpa” became “Mom” and “Dad.” They not only gave Simone a safe, loving environment in which to grow up, they introduced her to Christianity and to gymnastics.
As Simone does gravity-defying flips on the uneven bars and death-defying tumbling runs on the floor, remember that it’s her loving, supportive adoptive parents that provide her with the foundation on which to excel.
Thanks to adoption, Simone is a phenomenal athlete — and an even more phenomenal young woman.