Simone Biles isn’t bothered by her haters — in fact, the 27-year-old Olympic gymnast says they motivate her!
During a press conference after the 2024 Paris Olympics all-around final that aired on the BBC on Thursday, Biles shared that she was motivated to get her new goat pendant necklace because of people who pushed back on her being branded as the “Greatest of All Time (G.O.A.T).”
Biles debuted her new necklace after winning the all-around final, her second gold of the Games and her sixth Olympic gold. She finished first with a score of 59.131, beating second-place winner Rebeca Andrane of Brazil by 1.199 points. Biles’ U.S. teammate and 2020 Olympic all-around champion Suni Lee earned bronze with a score of 56.465.
Biles was handed the silver necklace with a sparkly goat pendant by her teammate, Jordan Chiles, after the win and put it on.
“It’s a little ode, I mean a lot of people love it, they always call me the G.O.A.T so I thought it would be really special if I got one made,” Biles explained to reporters. “And the haters hate it so I love that even more and it’s just a special part of me that I have here, as well as in the village I have like a stuffed goat, just to get a reminder: ‘You can go out there, you can do it, you’ve done it before, so let’s go.””
“But at the end of the day, it is crazy that I’m in the conversation of greatest of all time athletes, because I still think I’m Simone Biles from Spring, Texas that loves to flip,” she added.
Meanwhile, it’s undeniable that Biles is one of the greatest of all-time athletes: the gymnast became the most decorated U.S. gymnast in Olympic history after winning her eighth Olympic medal earlier this week.
The win pushed her past American gymnast Shannon Miller, who earned seven medals over the 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta Games.
This year marks a personal comeback victory for Biles after she dropped out of multiple events at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after experiencing a mental block known as the “twisties” mid-competition.
Last month, the decorated athlete spoke to Hoda Kotb on Today about her decision to return to the Olympic games after her tragic ending in Tokyo.
“It took a while, because I was watching gymnastics on TV, every time somebody twisted I was like ‘Oh my God,'” she told Kotb about the moments leading up to her decision to return. “And then I woke up one day and was like, ‘Let’s try this again.'”
Biles said that she was willing and ready to jump right back in, but her coaches and teammates were worried.
“They were like, ‘Get back in the gym. Get your skills back.’ So that we are all collectively deciding that we’re really gonna go for it.”
Biles credits the last three years of therapy and limiting social media for helping her come into the games with a better headspace. The athlete also knows that she doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone but herself.
“I would say the only thing I have to prove is to myself,” she said. “That I can get out there and do it again. I think we’re gonna get the job done. I feel really confident.”
Earlier this week, Biles, Chiles, Suni Lee, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera took home the gold in the artistic gymnastics team finals, marking their first medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Biles’ many wins have come with the support of her family, as her husband, NFL player Jonathan Owens, and parents Nellie and Ronald Biles were in the crowd at Bercy Arena to cheer her on.
On Friday, Owens took to Instagram to celebrate his wife’s historic wins, sharing a post in which he gushed over her prowess.
“Greatness 🐐 I love you so much baby ❤️🫶🏽💙,” Owens captioned the glowing post. “You accomplish whatever you set your mind to, and do it with so much grace. 9 time Olympic medalist and counting!!!! So proud to be your husband 🤞🏽🥇”