Simone Biles shares photo of rarely seen loved one on special day

Simone Biles has been busy ever since she returned fromthe Paris Olympics with her three gold medals and one silver medal. Whether it’s supporting her husband Jonathan Owens, or supervising their dream home renovations, she seems to be always on the move.

But the gymnast still had time to recognize a special day, as she celebrated her dad Ronald‘s 75th birthday. Simone took to Instagram to mark the occasion on her story with a photo of the 75-year-old wearing a Cleveland Browns football jersey and bright orange shorts. 

© @simonebiles Instagram

She captioned the photo: “my dad is the cutest, happy 75th” with a brown heart emoji. 

It’s no secret that Simone has a close relationship with her father Ronald, who along with her mom Nellie is one of her biggest supporters. Her parents were in attendance as she performed at the Paris Olympics, alongside her husband who donned the ultimate fan t-shirt, with Simone’s face and name plastered all over it.

© Jean Catuffe

“My parents haven’t missed a competition in my life,” Simone revealed at the Tokyo Olympics. In fact, they’re an important part of her pre-performance ritual as she always keeps an awareness of where they’re sitting.

© Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspap

“It doesn’t matter the arena,” her mom Nellie said. “She’ll look and I’ll wave and we make a connection.”

Simone and her sister Adria spent three years in the foster care system after their biological mom Shannon was unable to look after them. Ronald is actually Shannon’s father, making him Simone’s grandfather, although as far as the gymnast is concerned, he and Nellie are her actual parents – and she refers to them as mom and dad.

© Instagram

“I feel like I wouldn’t be where I am unless that turning point happened. I would still be Simone Biles, probably not Simone Biles that everybody else knows, the world knows,” she said of the adoption. “But I also believe everything happens for a reason and I’m forever grateful for that because I definitely got a second shot at life.”

Foster care wasn’t an ideal way for Simone to spend those formative first few years of life, and she described her experience as “always being hungry and afraid.” But Ronald was always a bright spot as he made a connection with his future adoptive daughters.

“Whenever we had visits with my grandpa I was so excited,” she said. “That was the person I always wanted to see walk in the foster home.”