There’s no dulling Simone Biles’s shine – especially when Goldie’s around. For the unacquainted, Goldie is the bedazzled billy goat that’s been adorning the gymnast’s leotards to represent her irrefutable status as the greatest of all time (GOAT). Of course, Goldie had to come along for Biles’s trip to the Gymnastics Olympic Trials over the weekend, but this time, the jewelled farm animal popped up on her shoes.
When Biles arrived for day one of the Trials in St. Louis on June 25, she sauntered out for warmups in a red, white, and blue leotard and white goat-themed sandals that instantly caught our eye. Custom made by a brand called ISlide, her sandals featured Goldie in all her crystal-encrusted glory surrounded by orange sunshine-like lines, mimicking the design of Biles’s leotard from the 2021 GK US Classic last month. Needless to say, Biles went on to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics during the Trials, along with Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Grace McCallum, and several other talented gymnasts.
While chatting with Marie Claire about the inspiration behind Goldie, the history-making athlete said, “The idea was to hit back at the haters. I didn’t feel like it was necessarily fair how they could keep saying whatever they wanted, but then if I said something, it wasn’t fair . . . I want kids to learn that yes, it’s OK to acknowledge that you’re good or even great at something.” Now that is a message we can certainly get behind, and we can’t wait to see what other goat-themed accessories she brings to Tokyo for the Olympics. Read ahead to see footage of Biles proudly rocking her Goldie slides at the Trials.
