Who is Simone Biles' biological father? Everything we know about Kelvin Clemons

Simone Biles is arguably the greatest gymnast of all time. The American, who continues to transcend boundaries in her remarkable career, did not have a regular childhood.

Biles spent a significant portion of her formative years in foster care. She was in the system from age two to five, as her biological parents struggled with severe alcohol addiction. Her maternal grandfather Ronald Biles and his second wife Nelie adopted Simone after this.

The world champion was born to mother Shanon Biles and father Kelvin Clemons on March 14, 1997. Biles had three other siblings: Adria, Ashley, and Trevin. All four children were sent to foster care when she was two years old. While Simone and Adria were eventually adopted by Ronald, her other two siblings were adopted by his sister, Harriet.

Biles hasn’t talked about her biological father so far. As of 2016, he lived in Cleveland. Pictures of Biles’ mother are available in the public domain. She has also appeared in a handful of interviews. Clemons, however, hasn't been in the public eye at all.

Biles does talk to her mother Shanon Biles, but has entirely cut her connection with Clemons. In an interview with The Daily Mail in 2016, Shanon said she had received a call from him.

"He just called me Sunday. I said, ‘I’m watching Simone are you watching her? Are you watching her? Call me back later.'”

In another interview with Women's Health Magazine, Shanon said Kelvin was ‘proud’ of her Simone.

"...he knows that’s his daughter and he’s very proud of her," she said.

“There are no blanks left unfilled”- Simone Biles on life without biological parents

Simone Biles has led an extraordinary life already (IMAGE: GETY)

At age five, Simone Biles was adopted by Ronald and Nellie. Since then, she has wished them on father's and mother’s days. She doesn't feel the void of her biological parents.

“I wonder what my life would be like if none of this happened. I want to know why my mother did what she did. But those aren’t questions for me because that was her lifestyle when I wasn’t even born. I have everything I need so there are no blanks left unfilled. I never felt I had questions or needed answers or had a part of me that was missing," she told TIME in 2016.

The world champion has expressed gratitude to Ronald and Nellie multiple times. In an appearance on “Dancing with Stars’, she said, (via heavy.com)

“My parents (Ronald and Nellie) saved me… They’ve set huge examples of how to treat other people, and they’ve been there to support me since day one. There’s nothing I could say to them to thank them enough.”

Simone Biles has risen against the odds and is now set to appear for her third consecutive Olympic appearance in Paris 2024.