Simone Biles Just Addressed Those Retirement Rumors With Three Words
Simone Biles finished her final event of the 2024 Olympics, winning silver in the floor competition.
She has not ruled out returning for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
The 27-year-old has asked media to "stop asking athletes what’s next" after winning a medal.
The Paris Olympics has featured tons of epic stories, from Katie Ledecky breaking records to Ilona Maher becoming a bonafide social media star. But perhaps the biggest headline is Simone Biles' comeback from a bout of the twisties during the Tokyo Games.
During this year's competition, Simone won three gold medals in three events—including the coveted individual all-around title. But the gymnastics G.O.A.T. wasn't pleased after she fell off the balance beam during August 5's beam finals, earning a score that tied her for fifth with teammate Suni Lee. Simone also got silver in that day's floor exercise.
Now that her final event is over, many fans are wondering what’s next for the 27-year-old: Will she retire, or is she planning to come back for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles?
During a press conference after Saturday’s vault final (where she won gold), Simone was asked by media if that was the last time she would be doing the vault in a competition.
“Definitely the Yurchenko double pike,” she replied. (In case you’re not familiar with the incredibly difficult move, Simone said in her Netflix docuseries Simone Biles Rising that she’s scared to do it every time.) “I kind of nailed that one.”
She then addressed the speculation around her future, telling reporters, “Never say never. The next Olympics is at home, so, you just never know. But I am getting really old.”
During an August 6 interview with TODAY, Simone reiterated the sentiment to co-host Hoda Kotb. "You know, you never say never," she said. "The next Olympics is on home turf, so you just never know. I’m just going to relax and see where life takes me.”
Last year, Simone married football player Jonathan Owens. The two are currently building their dream home in Texas.
Currently, Simone is just soaking up the moment. During the press conference, she said she appreciated that “not many people in the world can do it at this level.”
“Once we're out here, the floor is our stage, so it just feels so freeing for us because we're in our element. We're having fun, we're doing what we love to do and so I think that's why I enjoy it so much,” she said. “At a certain point as we get older it does get a little bit more scary and we're more aware of what we're doing and what can happen. So, our conscious is there, but always fun.”
FWIW, Simone has asked people to chill with comments about her future. “You guys really gotta stop asking athletes what’s next after they win a medal at the Olympics,” she said on X. “Let us soak up the moment we’ve worked our whole lives for.”
Congrats, Simone!
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