How These Olympic Athletes’ Parents Supported Their Children’s Dreams

After a brief stint in foster care as a child, Simone Biles was adopted by her grandparents, Nellie and Ronald Biles, reports Cosmopolitan. “I’m forever grateful for that because I definitely got a second shot at life,” Simone said, according to the outlet.

After adopting Simone, they threw their full support behind her passion for gymnastics and have been there for everything from her big wins to her lowest lows.

“Thanks for making sacrifices since day 1 so I can live out my dream,” Simone captioned an Instagram picture of her family. “But most importantly thanks for always being there for me through all the highs and lows. You guys are the absolute best.”

As the youngest member of Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Hezly Rivera will be competing in gymnastics with her supportive parents Henry and Heidy by her side. Her dad already went viral for sobbing in the audience as Hezly made the Olympic team at trials, reported Women’s Health magazine.

“He is my hero, my rock,” Hezly said after trials, according to People magazine. “He always pushes me to be my best, but he’s also comforting when things get rough.”

We’re sure they’re extremely proud she won her first Olympic medal.

Another Olympic gymnast with adoring parents is Suni Lee. Although John Lee isn’t her biological father, he’s been with her mother Yeev Thoj for all the pivotal moments of Suni’s life. According to NBC, she started using his last name as a teenager and carries it to the Olympics with her.

John was such a supportive father figure when it came to her sport that he even built her a balance beam at home so she could practice when she was away from the gym.

Frederick Richard found the sport of gymnastics through watching his sister do it as a child. Now he’s made it his profession, and his parents have been with him every step of the way. “He needs to know we are there,” his father Carl said to the Bay State Banner about always attending his son’s meets.

His dad added: “Being a young African American male can be a daunting task, especially in an environment where there are so few Blacks. And by being with our son we can help guide and protect him from rumors and other negative things that are out there.”

For Magda Skarbonkiewicz, fencing ran in the family. Her father Adam was also a fencer, according to the Portland Tribune. Adam narrowly missed competing in the Olympics, so when his daughter picked up the sport, he made sure to support her dreams so she could make it to the Olympics one day like he never did.

“Like every parent, you want the best for your kids,” her Polish-born father said, per the Portland Tribune. “I adopted this country 30 years ago and I’m very proud to represent the US and I’m very proud my kid is going to represent the best country.”

Field hockey player Abby Tamer’s mother Keely was also a field hockey player and later on started coaching the sport. Abby told Olympics.com how big of a help it’s been to share that sport with her mom.

“I could talk to her about what press [defense] isn’t working or why I’m having a bad day … and she’ll be able to take whatever I need and and give me some good advice,” Abby said.

Mollie and Kenny Smith always knew their daughter Sophia would be a star soccer player. “We just always encouraged her to be confident, to never let anybody take her confidence or shake her confidence,” Kenny told Colorado Public Radio. Mollie added that she used to drive to a different town so Sophia could play on a better team when she was a kid. And now she’s playing for Team USA.

In an interview with journalist Graham Bensinger, swimmer Caeleb Dressel called his parents his role models. He praised his dad for always being so protective, especially when he was a child and said he was bullied by his peers for participating in swimming. And he praised his mom for being caring and someone he can always count on.

And he can certainly count on them cheering him on in Paris.

Swimmer Mariah Denigan posted a TikTok of her running to celebrate with her father after she qualified for the Olympics, and it’s such a cute video. He’s been by her side since she she started swimming at 7 years old, according to WKNY.

Per WKNY, he even took her to the 2016 Olympic trials, and that moment inspired her to strive for the Paris Olympics.

Aaron and Alex’s parents are pulling double duty in Paris as both Aaron and his sister Alex are competing in swimming events. Their dad Nick is especially proud, because he passed his love for swimming down to his children. According to the Indianapolis Star, Nick swam for Great Britain during the 1996 and 2000 Olympics.

He continued to watch the sport alongside his children once they were born, which no doubt motivated them, And even their grandmother has been supportive — she was actually the one who taught Alex to swim, reports the Indianapolis Star.

Track sprinter Noah Lyles called his mother Keisha his “biggest inspiration” in an interview with NBC Olympics. “My mom has made a lot of sacrifices for me and my brother,” Noah said, lauding her for being a hard worker who encouraged him to dive fully into his own passions.

“My mom means everything to me,” he added, while getting a little choked up.

According to The Sun, both of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s parents, Willie and Mary, also competed in track and field — just not on the Olympic level like their daughter. “All of our kids are fairly talented, but [Sydney’s] a little special. We saw it coming. It was just a matter of time,” her father told MileSplit.

Sydney credited her success in part to her parents not putting too much pressure on her. “They just let me go out and run for fun and not focus on placement or titles,” she told MileSplit. “That got me to enjoy it more.”

Skateboarding sensation Minna Stess is 17 and looking to medal in Paris, but even if she doesn’t, she’ll have her dad by her side. “It’s not about stressful, like, ‘Oh, they have to win or they have to be the best,'” her dad Andrew told WBAL TV. “It’s wanting them to learn through failure and not be a mess afterwards if it doesn’t go well, which it doesn’t always go well.”

But hopefully for Minna and her family, this is one of those times where it does go well.

Daisy Mazzio-Manson’s mother, Mary Mazzio, was also an Olympic rower, having gone to the Games in 1992, according to Team USA. The outlet reported that Mary always wanted to make sure her daughter had strong athletic women to look up to, so she made a documentary called A Hero for Daisy. It was about the Yale women’s rowing team and their fight against gender bias.

And now her daughter will follow in Mary’s footsteps at the 2024 Olympics. According to her mom — she could very well win. “Honestly, if I had half her athletic talent, I could have gone far,” Mary told Team USA.

Rock climber Sam Watson is super close with his father, who recently went viral on TikTok for his emotional response to Sam’s Olympic trial victory.

“Thank you for all of your support through everything I’ve done for the past 18 years,” Sam wrote in an Instagram post dedicated to his dad. “You’ve taken me all over the world, been there for me through 16 events, 14 finals, 2 podiums, and 2 non-final nights. You’ve committed yourself to your health and longevity to spend more years and join me at several more Olympics.”