Simone Biles credits much of her success to her parents.
Speaking at WOBI’s World Business Forum in New York City on Nov. 5, the 11-time Olympic gymnast medalist said her parents did some things during her childhood that still help her stay grounded and successful.
“They never cared about winning medals or getting on the podium, they never talked about it,” she said. “They always kiss me goodbye and say, ‘Good luck, have fun, and be safe.’ And I think that’s why I’ve been so successful.”
Biles also recalled that her parents insisted on taking her and her siblings on vacation despite pressure from their coaches to practice all summer. It was important to spend that time “so I don’t get burnt out,” she said.
Her parents “knew how much it meant to the kids and how beneficial it was to get us out of our element and go on vacation by ourselves and spend time with our family but the two of us and make memories with our family,” she said.
Biles’ advice for parents to help their children succeed? “Make sure they’re having fun and loving what they’re doing, because then they’ll be successful,” she said.
Although Biles is now the most decorated gymnast in U.S. history, her parents still treat her normally, which she said keeps her “humble and grounded.”
“If you ask my dad, every time I go and do something like this, he still doesn’t understand,” she said of speaking at the forum. “He was like, ‘Does everyone want to meet my daughter? Why my daughter? It’s just Simone.'”
Biles joked that even with his success, he still has to do housework when he’s home with his parents.
“They didn’t care what medals I won. I wasn’t immune to anything, not even cooking,” she said.
“‘We know you got off that plane,'” Biles recalled her parents telling her. But, “It’s your night to wash the dishes.”
Biles previously shared advice from her mother that helped her succeed. Her mother encouraged her to focus on becoming the best version of herself instead of comparing herself to others.
“Being the GOAT was never my goal,” Biles wrote in May during his commencement address at Washington University in St. Louis. “All I wanted to be was to be the best Simone I could be. My goal was to be the best Simone Biles ever. I wanted that, and I still strive for that. And when I start to get crazy and doubt myself, I remember what my mom taught me from an early age: to be the best Simone I can be, every day.”
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