‘Haters hate it, so I love that even more’: Simone Biles explains goat pendant backstory

Simone Biles has said the goat pendant she wore after winning her sixth Olympic gold medal, and her second of the Paris Games, was a reminder of those who doubted her.

Related: Simone Biles makes history with second Olympic gymnastics all-around gold medal

“It’s a little ode [the goat pendant] ... I mean, a lot of people love it. They always call me the GOAT [greatest of all time], so I thought it would be really special if I got one made,” she said after completing her victory at Bercy Arena. “The haters hate it, so I love that even more. It’s just a special part of me that I have here. In the [Olympic] village I have a stuffed goat. Just to get a reminder. Like: ‘You can go out there, you can do it. You’ve done it before. So let’s go.’”

According to Page Six, the pendant has 546 diamonds embedded in its body. It’s not the first time Biles has used the theme. She wore a leotard with a goat motif at the 2021 US national championships.

She has also used criticism to fuel her competitive spirit this week. Hours after she helped the US to a team gold on Tuesday, the 27-year-old posted a photo to Instagram of herself celebrating atop the podium alongside fellow gold medalists Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera, with the caption “lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions”. Biles’s words were a response to recent comments by MyKayla Skinner, a former US gymnast who won a silver medal on vault at the 2020 Olympics, who had questioned the talent and dedication of Biles’s teammates.

Biles’ gold on Thursday was her 39th career medal between the Olympics and world championships, extending her record as the most decorated gymnast in history. Since winning her first national title in 2013, she has won every all-around competition in every meet she has entered.