Simone Biles' mother couldn't afford to feed her. She's now the world's greatest gymnast.

When gymnast Simone Biles competes, you might notice a goat on the back of her bedazzled leotard. 

The 27-year-old often wears the rhinestone symbol to declare she is the GOAT - the greatest of all time. And the four-foot-eight gymnast undeniably is. 

The New York Times previously noted that Biles is often compared to Serena Williams, Tom Brady and Tiger Woods for her dominance in her sport. But even that doesn't do her justice, the publication pointed out. 

"[That] analogy minimises her athletic brilliance because those competitors lose from time to time — and she doesn’t," journalist Juliet Macur wrote.

Simone Biles wears a rhinestone goat on her leotard during the 2021 GK U.S. Classic gymnastics competition. Image: Getty. 

Since 2013, the American gymnast has won six all-around titles. She has 7 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals. She's also the only woman who has performed the dangerous Yurchenko double pike in competition.

At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Biles returns to the world stage where she is likely to make history if she adds to her tally of Olympic medals. She's currently tied with Shannon Miller for the most Olympic medals won by an American gymnast.

Simone is likely to achieve her goal of leading Team USA to victory in Paris, with the new Netflix documentary Simone Biles Rising highlighting her power in the lead-up to the games. 

But the path to gymnastics glory has not been an easy ride. Here's what you need to know about Simone Biles. 

Simone Biles' childhood. 

Alongside her three siblings, Biles was born to a mother who struggled with addiction to drugs and alcohol, as well as an absent father.

She remembers eating cereal with water when she was young, because they could not afford milk. 

In her Facebook Watch series, Simone vs Herself, the 24-year-old reflected on her early childhood. 

"Growing up, me and my siblings were so focused on food because we didn't have a lot of food," she remembers. "I remember there was this cat around the house and I would be so hungry. They would feed this cat and I would be like, 'Where the heck is my food?' And so I think that's [why] I don’t like cats... because this freaking street cat, she always fed it. But she never fed us."

In 2002, when Biles was aged five, her birth mother lost custody of her four children, who were placed into foster care. 

Within 12 months, Biles' maternal grandfather, Ron, and his second wife, Nellie, adopted her and her younger sister, Adria. They both now call Nellie and Ron 'Mum and Dad'. Simone's other two siblings were adopted by Ron's sister.

Simone Biles and her younger sister, Adria. Image: YouTube.  

Biles said that once the adoption occured, her birth parents stopped seeing her altogether. 

"When we signed the [adoption] papers, it was like my dad flipped a switch on me – no communication, don’t call, and don’t visit. That’s how it was at the beginning," she told the Daily Mail. 

The same year she was adopted, Biles visited a gymnastics centre while on a day-care field trip. 

As they played around, one coach noticed Biles' raw and rare talent and sent a letter home to her parents asking if she would be interested in joining their classes.

It quickly became clear just how special her talent was. 

Who is Simone Biles' biological mother?

Simone Biles' mother's name is Shanon Biles, and she largely stays out of the public eye. 

Shanon has struggled over the years with drug addiction, and has had a fair few run ins with the law, including an assault that she was put on probation for in 2021. 

In 2016, Shanon did a rare interview, saying that she stayed out of Simone's life once the adoption papers were signed at Nellie and Ron Biles' behest. 

“It took me six years before I saw my children again. I was respecting my Dad to let the kids transition, he felt that was the best thing for them," she told the Daily Mail. "It was hard to give up my kids but I had to do what I had to, I wasn't able to care for them.”

She added, "I was still using and he didn't want me coming in and out of their lives when I wasn't right. I was hard-headed, I didn't care, screaming, 'I want to see my kids, why you doing this to me?' I didn't understand it at the time but years later, I understood why. I had to deal with me first."

It's believed that Shanon now lives in Columbus, Ohio. 

In the same Mail interview, Simone's biological mother mentioned that she wasn't able to go and cheer her on at the Rio Olympics due to the cost of the travel, but also the pressure that would put on her kid.

"You always have a bond with your child but with us not growing up together, I don't want to make her nervous, get her out of character. I’m just here, yelling, 'Go Simone!' at the TV," she said. 

While Shanon has never divulged how she fell into the addictions, she has hinted that something triggered the estrangement that would follow. 

"When I talk to Simone, it’s a brief conversation, like, 'I miss you, I love you, I can't wait to see you, I'm proud of you, I'm watching. You go girl,'" she said. "It's never anything personal. I want to tell her what really happened when I was younger, but I keep on waiting for the right time."

Who is Simone Biles' biological father? 

Simone Biles father is a man called Kevin Clemons, who also struggled with addiction much like Shanon Biles. It's reported that he was largely an absent father.

Shanon and Kevin met while they were teenagers, and they still touch base with one another from time to time, though Yahoo! reports that he is not in contact with Simone. 

"He knows that’s his daughter and he’s very proud of her," Shanon told the Daily Mail.

Simone Biles' Olympic dreams. 

In 2016, Biles became a household name worldwide when she won five medals, four of them gold, at the Rio Games. 

In her red, white and blue leotard, Biles shone in the spotlight as the then-teenager was hailed a 'once-in-a-lifetime' athlete. What makes her so great? The gymnast is known for her brilliance in the floor exercise specifically, as well as her willingness to take risks.  

Many have called her unbeatable on the floor.

Her Olympic teammate, Sunisa Lee, told the New York Times, "Simone is so good that the rest of us can only hope to finish second to her in the all-around. What else can you do? She does all sorts of crazy things no one else can do."

In 2021, Biles pulled out of the Tokyo Olympics to protect herself as she struggled with mental health issues. 

"Physically, I feel good, I'm in shape," she told The Today Show in the US. "Emotionally, that kind of varies on the time and moment. Coming to the Olympics and being head star isn't an easy feat, so we're just trying to take it one day at a time and we'll see."

In 2024, she's returning to the Olympics in Paris and is determined to put the past behind her. 

"I think with everything I’ve been through, I want to push the limits, I want to see how far I can go," she said of her return to the Olympic stage. "I want to see what I’m still capable of so once I step away from this sport, I can truly be happy with my career and say I gave it my all."

Simone Biles during the Qualifying rounds at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday. Image: Getty.  

Simone Biles' brother's murder trial. 

In August 2019, Simone Biles' brother, Tevin Biles-Thomas, was accused of fatally shooting three people at a New Year's Eve party in 2018. 

He was arrested and charged with murder, homicide, voluntary manslaughter, felonious assault and perjury in relation to the shooting.

Police alleged that an uninvited group walked into a house party and an altercation ensued between the uninvited guests and those who were invited. It resulted in the deaths of three people. 

When the news broke, the champion gymnast released a statement asking the public respect her family's privacy as they "deal with [their] pain".

"My heart aches for everyone involved, especially for the victims and their families," she wrote on Twitter. "There is nothing I can say that will heal anyone's pain, but I do want to express my sincere condolences to everyone affected by this terrible tragedy.

But in June 2021, Biles-Thomas was acquitted of the murder charges due to insufficient evidence. 

Survivor of sexual abuse.

In January 2018, USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar was sentenced to 175 years in prison for molesting gymnasts under the guise of giving ‘treatment’. 

More than 500 women and girls have accused Nassar of abuse. Simone Biles is one of them. 

In 2018, Larry Nassar was sentenced 175 years in prison for abusing women and girls. Image: Getty.  

In January 2018, Biles shared her story of being sexually abused by Nassar.

“Most of you know me as a happy, giggly, and energetic girl,” she wrote in a statement on Twitter. “But lately I’ve felt a bit broken and the more I try to shut off the voice in my head the louder it screams.

“I am not afraid to tell my story anymore. I too am one of the many survivors that was sexually abused by Larry Nassar. Please believe me when I say it was a lot harder to first speak those words out loud than it is now to put them on paper. There are many reasons that I have been reluctant to share my story, but I know now it is not my fault.”

Feelings... 💭 #MeToo pic.twitter.com/ICiu0FCa0n

— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) January 15, 2018

"It is not normal to receive any type of treatment from a trusted team physician and refer to it horrifyingly as the 'special' treatment," Biles continued. "This behaviour is completely unacceptable, disgusting, and abusive, especially coming from someone whom I was TOLD to trust."

Indeed, Biles has endured and overcome great adversity to become the best gymnast the world has even seen. 

Before heading to the Olympics in 2021, she had four words tattooed to her collarbone to acknowledge her strength and resilience. 

It reads: "And still I rise."

This article was originally published in June, 2021, and has since been updated. 

Feature image: Getty/YouTube.