Science & Environment
Simone Biles says she knew people would ‘go crazy…
Simone Biles has long been nicknamed a “GOAT” — or the “Greatest Of All Time.” Now, she has an accessory to match the acronym.
The American gymnast, who became the most decorated American gymnast in the history of the Olympic Games this week, drew praise from fans online after showing off a new necklace alongside her gold medal.
The white gold necklace, which she clung onto proudly while on the podium on Thursday, is a diamond-covered goat. It was custom made for the Olympian by Janet Heller, founder and CEO of Janet Heller Fine Jewelry in Calabasas, Calif.
“She reached out to us about five weeks ago to say that she wanted to do a goat necklace,” Heller told NBC News. Biles didn’t give Heller too many specifics, she said, and so the jeweler went through “several iterations” before landing on the final design.
“What she didn’t know we would be doing, which was a huge surprise to her, was that we made it 3D,” Heller said. The necklace has 546 diamonds.
Biles said she knew the necklace would draw attention.
“My GOAT necklace is just kind of an ode, because the people love it and some people hate it,” she told reporters at a news conference. “So, it’s like the best of both worlds. I was like, ‘OK, if it goes well, we’ll wear the GOAT necklace.’ I know people will go crazy over it.”
She elaborated in an interview with BBC, saying that her “haters” also inspired her to get the design.
“And the haters hate it so I love that even more and it’s just a special part of me that I have here, as well as in the village I have like a stuffed goat, just to get a reminder: ‘You can go out there, you can do it, you’ve done it before, so let’s go.’ ’”
The accessory isn’t the first piece of jewelry Biles has purchased from Heller’s company, which also made a gold and diamond Olympic ring necklace for the gymnastics champion.
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It’s also not the first time Biles has paid homage to the nickname. In 2021, she wore a leotard that had a bedazzled goat on it.
“We wore the goat just to kind of, I wouldn’t say piss people off, but mess with them because there were a lot of people that say, ‘Hey Simone, you’re the goat,’ but then if I acknowledge it, then I’m cocky,” Biles said in July 2021, during an episode of the Facebook Watch series “Simone vs. Herself.”
Heller described working with Biles as an “honor” and “privilege.”
“I found her to be so humble, down-to-earth and appreciative,” she said. “It really was the cherry on the top. She was amazing to work with.”
While some people have reached out to the jeweler asking her to recreate the goat necklace for them, Heller said she’s refused.
“It’s very special, very one-of-a-kind,” she said.
Biles has three events left in Paris, including a vault event on Saturday and balance beam and floor finals on Monday.
