"I couldn’t have been more thrilled" - When Simone Biles opened up about joy she felt after receiving her first leotard

Simone Biles once opened up on the moment her mother Nellie bought the gymnast and her sister, Adria, their first leotards. Biles was on born March 14, 1997, in Columbus, Ohio. However, she and her younger sister Adria were put into foster care after her biological mother became incapable of providing for them due to drugs and alcohol addiction.

Biles and Adria were adopted by her grandparents Ronald and Nellie when they were young and moved to Texas. Her grandparents enrolled her into a gymnastics program that marked the foundation of her career and revealed her passion for the sport. In her autobiography, Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance, published in 2016, Biles reflected on the moment when her mother bought her a leotard.

Remembering the moment, Biles said while she was ecsatic, her sister Adria was less exited and went along with her. She further highlighted her improvement during the initial stages of her journey.

"Mom signed Adria and me up for recreational gymnastics classes that very week. She enrolled us in forty-five-minute sessions twice a week, and she bought us colorful leos from Bannon’s gift shop on our first day," Biles wrote. "I couldn’t have been more thrilled. I was finally learning the proper way to do all those skills I used to improvise on the trampoline. Adria was more lukewarm about the whole experience. She just went along with me."

Simone Biles wins her fourth Laureus Sportswoman of the Year Award

Simone Biles with the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year award in Madrid, Spain. (Photo via Getty Images)

Simone Biles recently earned the Laureus Sportswoman of the Year Award over multiple-time 400m Olympic medalist and world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, three-time gold medalist long-distance runner Sifan Hassan, and Faith Kipyegon, Spanish footballer Aitana Bonmati, and world No. 1 tennis player Aryna Sabalenka.

The prestigious award is an ode to her remarkable performance at the 2024 Paris Games, where she secured three gold and one silver medal. After receiving the award, she conveyed her delight while reminiscing her first Laureus award.

"I won this Award for the first time in 2017 and Laureus has been a part of my story since then, and I share their belief that sport has the power to change the world," Biles said. (via Olympics. com)

Simone Biles have previously won the Laureus Sportswoman of the Year Award thrice in 2017, 2019, and 2020 and the Laureus Comeback of the Year Award in 2024.