Simone Biles has won four medals total so far during the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France, including a silver medal she earned on Monday after slipping on the balance beam.
On Monday, her mother Nellie Biles’ nickname for the woman who has been deemed ‘The GOAT’ of gymnastics was revealed.
According to the New York Times, Biles was nicknamed “the little turtle” growing up.
The nickname was given to her as a reminder to live life at her own pace and to be herself.
“Don’t worry that you are moving slowly,” her mother told her. “Just be sure of what direction you are going in.”
Biles was born in Columbus, Ohio and has 11 Olympic medals along with 30 World Championship medals over the course of her career. She is the most decorated gymnast in United States history and is considered to be the GOAT (Greatest Of All-Time) of her sport.
Biles ranks third all-time in most medals for her sport worldwide after Věra Čáslavská in second place and Larisa Latynina of the USSR (now Ukraine).
Biles is now done competing in the 2024 Summer Olympics.
“I’ve accomplished way more than in my wildest dreams,” she said.