"I don’t want to think about that yet" - When Simone Biles opened up about crucial conversation with mother before Rio Olympics

Simone Biles once opened up about the crucial conversation she had with her mother about setting goals before the Rio Olympics. Biles earned the spot to compete at her debut Olympics in Rio after topping the all-around, vault, and floor event.

A few days before leaving for the Games, Biles was visited by her family at the Karolyi Ranch when her mother Nellie pulled her aside and asked her to set clear goals for the Olympics, stressing she should write them down. However, Biles, who was already navigating the pressure of expectations, was reluctant as she felt that wasn't the right time. In her autobiography Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance, Biles reflected on their conversation.

"Mom has always believed in setting clear goals," Biles wrote. "She took me aside to discuss the fact that I still hadn’t written down any goals for my time in Rio. 'You said you wanted to make the team,' she pointed out, 'but now that you’ve made it, you need to set a new goal for what comes next. You need to write it down.'"

Reflecting on her reply, Biles added:

"'Mom,' I protested, 'not now. I don’t want to think about that yet.' 'But the Olympics are almost here,' she said. 'If you don’t think about it now, when will you have time?'"

"Her prayers for me were being answered" - When Simone Biles opened up on her mother Nellie's reaction to her letter

Simone Biles at the 2024 Paris Olympics in France. (Image by Getty)

After refusing to note down the goals during her training camp at the Karolyi ranch, Simone Biles sat down and wrote a letter to her parents a day before leaving for Rio. She expressed her love and stated her goal of making her parents proud. In her autobiography Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance, Biles reflected on her mother's reaction as she teared up.

"Hi Mom and Dad, I love you all. See you soon in Rio. I will make you proud. Love, Simone. Kisses," Biles wrote in the letter.

"Mom told me later that when she read the words I will make you proud scrawled in my big, round handwriting in a notebook tucked between sweaty leos, she put her hand over her mouth and wept. She felt as if her prayers for me were being answered."

Simone Biles' mother, Nellie, who adopted her at the age of six, built the World Champions Center, an elite-level training facility.