Simone Biles on bedazzled goat: 'The idea was to hit back at the haters'

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Simone Biles turned heads earlier this year when she emblazoned her leotard with a bedazzled goat.

Biles has certainly earned the title of GOAT, or greatest of all time, within her sport. The 19-time world champion and four-time Olympic gold medalist is among the most-decorated champion gymnasts in history, and the bedazzled goat on her uniform is a reminder to the doubters and critics.

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"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," she said in an interview with Marie Claire published Tuesday. "[The haters] were joking like, ‘I swear, if she put a goat on her leo, blah, blah, blah.' That would make them so angry. And then I was like, 'Oh, that's actually a good idea. Let's make the haters hate it, and the fans love it.’ And so that's exactly what we did and why we did it."

Simone Biles waits her turn to compete on the balance beam during the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, Friday, June 4, 2021, in Fort Worth, Texas. Biles wore a goat laced into her leotard during the competition. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Biles added that she hoped the leotard sent a message to the youngsters watching her.

SIMONE BILES WOULD BE 'UNCOMFORTABLE' WITH DAUGHTER GETTING INTO GYMNASTICS

"I just hope that kids growing up watching this don't or aren't ashamed of being good at whatever they do. And that's my problem: when people kind of harp on other people that are good at something. And it's like, everybody can say you're good, but once you acknowledge it, it's not cool anymore. And I want kids to learn that, yes, it's OK to acknowledge that you're good or even great at something," she added.

Biles is expected to make Team USA during Olympic trials and compete for a few more gold medals.

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She took the world by storm in 2016 at the Rio Games, winning four gold medals and a bronze.