You may know a lot of things about Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, but did you know how close she and her younger sister Adria are? Like, *so* close that Adria followed in the iconic athlete’s footsteps and became a gymnast for a whopping 10 (!!!!!) years?!?!
“My sister has always been fearless,” Adria said of Simone in a 2016 op-ed for ESPN. “When we were little kids, we’d stand on a railing on the second floor of our house, then jump off onto the couch down below on the first floor. She’d go first, and I’d follow. We were both gymnasts, so we were always trying things around the house. Nothing scared her.” BRB, calling my little sister, stat. 😭❤️
Throughout the years, these two have proved to be the literal definition of besties. Here's everything to know about Adria Biles and her sweet 'ship with her sister Simone.
Adria is also a pretty elite gymnast.
Adria followed in her big sister’s footsteps and began practicing gymnastics when she was just 9 years old while most of us (read: me) were out here barely making it through reading picture books.
By 2015, she was competing at a Level 9 (aka the junior elite level) and pursued the sport for a whole decade before ultimately ending her career in 2016. Despite no longer being a full-time gymnast, however, Adria still found the time to incorporate her love of dance into her life and earned a spot on the professional dance team of the Houston Astros, the Shooting Stars.
She announced the huge news ahead of the 2022 MLB season via an Instagram post and wrote, “Number 15 reporting for duty 🧡💙” alongside a buncha celebratory snaps.
Despite her little sister ~moving on~ though, to say Simone would still *love* to see her get back on the mat is a serious understatement lol. Back in 2021, the Olympic winner cheekily retweeted a study published by the Telegraph that read, in part, “When a pair of siblings both played the same sport professionally, the younger one was more successful.” She also tagged Adria in her caption and wrote, “Uh oh @adria_biles you better get back in the gym sister,” alongside a laughing face emoji.
I-con-ic!!!
She’s been on reality television.
Yep, turns out, Adria was actually on the inaugural season of Claim to Fame—a reality show where each contestant is related to a celebrity but has to keep that relative’s identity a secret—under the pseudonym “Louise.”
Real fans know that the moniker is actually Adria’s middle name, but contestants on the show had a harder time guessing who she was related to since she tried to stump contestants by telling them her sister is a popular former college female athlete. We won’t spoil the show for ya, but unfortunately, the celeb had to self-eliminate because a certain musician’s younger cousin correctly guessed who she was. 😭
“I played the game and I wasn’t mad about leaving because I did pretty good and stayed longer than most expected,” Adria confessed to USA Today following her departure from the series.
Dw @ “Louise,” you’ll always be famous!!!!
Adria and Simone were adopted by their grandparents.
In case ya didn’t know, Adria actually has three biological siblings: Simone, an older brother named Tevin-Biles Thomas, and an older sister named Ashley Biles-Thomas.
Per Simone’s 2016 memoir Courage to Soar, both her and Adria’s biological mother, Shanon Biles, struggled with alcohol and drugs throughout their upbringing. After being put through the foster care system for a number of years, the siblings’ grandparents, Ron and Nellie Biles, formally adopted them when they were 6 and 4.
As for Simone and Adria’s older brother and sister? The Wall Street Journal reported back in 2019 that they opted to stay in Ohio and were adopted by their great-aunt, who lived in Cleveland.
FYI, despite the sisters being only around two years apart, Simone actually became kinda sorta like a motherly figure to Adria at a young age. “I wanted to take care of Adria obviously because she was the baby,” the Olympic gymnast recalled during an episode of her Facebook Watch series, Simone vs. Herself. “I just felt like I needed to look out for her because if family doesn’t look out for you, who’s going to?”
Watch ‘Simone vs. Herself’ Now!
She was a bridesmaid in Simone’s wedding.
Which should come as no surprise considering just how close these two are! Simone’s April 2023 wedding to football pro Jonathan Owens was g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s to say the least and was made all the more special by her little sister being right there with her. ❤️
Adria shared a buncha pics of the special day on Instagram, including a carousel that featured snaps of her and Simone getting ready and the pro gymnast’s entire bridal party.
“Can not express how proud i am of you guys 😭 i just love y’all so much! congrats to the newlyweds 🤍🤍🤍,” Adria gushed on Instagram of the nuptials.
She has her sister’s back.
After Simone made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Adria shared a sweet baby pic of her and her sis to give her a major shout-out. “The little girl in me would look for you in every single room she walks into. you have made me into the person i am today and i will forever look up to you. i love you sister 🤍,” she wrote in her caption. Too! Sweet!
ICYMI, Simone made the difficult decision to withdraw from a number of events at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics after suffering from the “twisties” and choose to prioritize her health and well-being—a decision that, although earned a *ton* of praise, also got some hate from…well, haters lol. However, Adria swiftly came to her sister’s defense and had this to say to those who didn’t support the withdrawals.
FYI, one of Simone’s elder half-brothers Ron also took to Twitter in support of the decision, saying, “She really needs them at this time, and is having a hard time. You’re still GOAT Simone and no one can ever take that away from you!! You’re an amazing woman, talented gymnast, and I know you can bounce from this.”
We’re not crying, you are!!!
Aaaaaand that’s pretty much all we know about Adria for now, but definitely make sure to check back in for any and all updates on her on the heels of Simone’s next Olympics debut!