Simone Biles’ little sister, Adria Biles, was a bridesmaid in her wedding
Simone Biles and her little sister, Adria Biles, have a super-tight bond.
The sisters, who frequently get mistaken as twins, share a passion for tumbling and flying through the air. Growing up under the same roof as a two-time Olympian, Adria followed in her big sister’s gymnastics footsteps. Adria was an elite gymnast for 10 years and competed through high school. In an op-ed for ESPN, Adria recalled what it was like being raised in a gymnastic household.
“My sister has always been fearless,” she said of Simone. “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. Nothing scared her.”
Though Simone and Adria are only about two years apart, Simone became a motherly figure to Adria at a very young age. Prior to being adopted by their maternal grandfather and grandmother, Ronald and Nellie Biles, the Biles sisters spent three years in the foster care system.
“I wanted to take care of Adria obviously because she was the baby,” Simone 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?”
Adria, in turn, was there for her sister when she scored a gold medal in both the individual and team all-around competitions at the 2024 Olympics. “Shut the eff up I have the coolest big sisterrrrrr,” Adria wrote on her Instagram Stories after Simone’s big wins. “What a freaking boss babe!! ILYSFM🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍.”
Here’s everything to know about Simone Biles’ sister, Adria Biles, and their relationship.
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At the age of 3, Simone and her infant sister were placed in foster care when their biological mother, Sharon, was unable to take care of them due to her drug and alcohol addiction. Simone opened up about her upbringing and how the experience affected her and Adria in her Facebook Watch series, Simone vs. Herself.
“I don’t remember a lot about foster care, but I definitely knew that we had been taken from our biological mom and then you just think you’re going to go back to her,” she said in an episode titled “Who Am I?”
The two-time Olympian noted that she and Adria were “very fortunate” to not get split up while in foster care. They spent three years in the foster care system before their grandparents officially adopted them. Today, Simone refers to Ronald and Nellie as her parents.
Simone and Adria’s two other siblings, Tevin and Ashley, were adopted by Ronald’s sister and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio.
She grew up competing in gymnastics
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Taking after her big sister, Adria began practicing gymnastics when she was 9 years old. By 2015, she was competing at a Level 9, also known as the junior elite level, according to gymnastic score tracking website MyMeetScores.com. She competed for a decade before leaving the sport in 2016.
Albeit, Simone would love to have her sister back on the mat. In 2021, Simone retweeted a study published by the Telegraph that found “when a pair of siblings both played the same sport professionally, the younger one was more successful.”
She tagged Adria in the caption writing, “uh oh @adria_biles you better get back in the gym” with a laughing face emoji, to which Adria wrote back, “Nahh that’s all you sister.”
Adria doubled down on her response, affirming that it’s “not the case in this case.”
She competed on the TV show Claim to Fame
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Adria entered under the pseudonym “Louise” on the inaugural season of Claim to Fame. Lousie, which happens to be Adria’s middle name, tried to stump contestants by telling them that her sister is a well-known former college female athlete. Albeit, she was eliminated half way through after “Logan,” aka Jason Aldean’s younger cousin, correctly guessed her identity.
Looking back, Adria admitted that she’s surprised she made it as far as she did. “I played the game and I wasn’t mad about leaving because I did pretty good and stayed longer than most expected,” Adria told USA Today following her elimination.
Though Adria’s claim to fame wasn’t too far from the truth, she said her famous sister is “completely normal” and contrary to popular belief, Simone “doesn’t do flips around the house.”
“We still fight sometimes and I steal her clothes,” Adria said, adding, “We are like best friends.”
She often gets mistaken for Simone
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Adria may not be an A-list athlete like her big sister, but thanks to their uncanny resemblance, she’s gotten a little taste of the spotlight. Chatting with ESPN about Simone’s impressive run at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Adria explained how her sister’s rising celebrity has affected her everyday life.
“It’s been funny to watch her go from normal Simone to famous Simone. Even in Brazil, people came up to me everyday thinking I was her. They’d ask for autographs and take pictures,” she said.
While the Biles sisters possess similar facial features and a strong, athletic build, Adria pointed out that she holds a full six inches over her sister. “We do look alike, I’ll give them that. But I’m about 5-foot-2. Simone is 4-foot-8,” she said. “I’m a good head taller than her. When we are side by side, people can definitely tell us apart.”
She was a bridesmaid in Simone’s wedding
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Simone’s family played an active role in her destination wedding to Jonathan Owens. Her father walked her down the aisle, while Adria served as one of her bridesmaids.
Photos shared to Adria’s Instagram, show the sisters getting ready for Simone’s big day followed by another post of bridal party photos.
“Can not express how proud i am of you guys,” Adria wrote on Instagram. “I just love y’all so much! congrats to the newlyweds 🤍🤍🤍.”
Adria was also joined by her girlfriend, Janae, for the wedding festivities.
She was a member of the Houston Astros Shooting Stars
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Following her retirement from gymnastics, Adria took to dance and earned a spot on the Shooting Stars, the professional dance team of the Houston Astros.
As a squad member, Adria doubled as a dance performer and “an ambassador of the Houston Astros organization through in-game promotions and entertainment, community outreach and charity events,” per the brand’s website.
Adria announced the news ahead of the 2022 MLB season. “Number 15 reporting for duty,” she wrote on Instagram alongside a photo in her tryout uniform and a screenshot of her acceptance letter.
She and Simone starred in a U.S. Bank commercial
In June 2024, U.S. Bank released a commercial starring Simone and Adria. The 30-second ad follows the two women as they shop for clothes, electronics and even a massage chair.
“New card? You like it?” Adria asks. “Yep. The U.S. Bank cash plus VISA signature card gets cash back on everything I buy,” Simone replies.
She is very supportive of Simone’s gymnastics career
Adria has always been Simone’s biggest supporter, especially when it came to her run at the Tokyo Olympics. She was quick to defend Simone’s decision to withdraw from multiple events after suffering from the “twisties” and to focus on her mental health.
“Thank you for being an inspiration to me and to everyone around you, thank you for making people feel valid about their feelings, thank you for being you and thank you for being the best big sister in the world,” she wrote on Instagram at the time. “Okay gonna go cry now because you’re the best human i know i love you sister.”
