Simone Biles revealed that she gathers inspiration from all kinds of places—even her haters.
In an interview on Thursday, August 1, at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the artistic Olympian, 27, said that she was motivated to get her necklace with a goat pendant due to naysayers not liking her being celebrated as the ‘Greatest of All Time (G.O.A.T).’
The 27-year-old now has a total of nine Olympic medals—six gold, one silver, and two bronze—along with her 30 World Championship medals. So, for the most decorated U.S. gymnast in Olympic history, it seemed fitting to solidify her impressive achievements with new jewelry handed to her by her teammate Jordan Chiles, which she then displayed proudly.
jordan giving simone her goat necklace 😭🫶🏾 pic.twitter.com/j2py0b5KVX
— َ (@ungodlywests) August 1, 2024
“My goat necklace is just kind of an ode, because the people love it and then some people hate it, so it’s like the best of both worlds. And I was like, okay, if it goes well, I’ll wear the goat necklace, I know people will go crazy over it,” Biles told reporters in a press conference after Thursday’s victory.
“And the haters hate it, so I love that even more, and it’s just a special part of me that I have here. In the village, I have a stuffed goat as a reminder: ‘You can go out there, you can do it, you’ve done it before, so let’s go.’”
Simone Biles x Janet Heller#SimoneBiles with her custom GOAT necklace by #JanetHeller Fine Jewelry for the #OlympicGames in #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/CMJb2o98DX
— celebrity style & fashion news (@__dicarlo) August 1, 2024
On Tuesday, after their team final win, Biles brushed off her eye-popping numbers.
“I don’t keep count, I don’t keep stats,” she said. “I just go out here and do what I’m supposed to, and I’m doing what I love and enjoying it, so that’s really all that matters to me.”
She continued, “Yes, it’s amazing, now that I hear it, but I don’t think I’ll truly understand the depth of it until I walk away from the sport.”
Biles reiterated, “[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.”
Biles won the all-around competition for a second time, after previously earning gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She finished first with a score of 59.131, beating second-place winner Rebeca Andrade 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.