Getty Simone Biles of Team United States reacts after finishing her routine on the uneven bars during the Artistic Gymnastics Women's All-Around Final on day six of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena on August 01, 2024 in Paris, France.
Simone Biles just wants to soak in the moment before she starts thinking about the future.
The 27-year-old gymnast has been on quite a run at the Paris Olympics, leading Team USA to a gold medal in the team competition and taking another gold in the all-around. She still has the chance to add more hardware before the Summer Games are over, but has also started to field questions about what will come next after Paris.
Biles sent a strong reply to those questioning her future, taking to X to make a strong statement about letting athletes enjoy their moment before forcing them to consider when retirement might be coming.
“you guys really gotta stop asking athletes what’s next after they win a medal at the Olympics,” Biles wrote.
She added, “let us soak up the moment we’ve worked our whole lives for.”
Simone Biles Has Faced Retirement Speculation
Even before she made the trip to Paris, Biles has faced speculation about whether her gymnastics career could be coming to an end. She already made history just by qualifying, becoming the oldest women’s gymnast to represent the United States in the Olympics in nearly 75 years.
Simone HISTORY MAKER Biles 🇺🇸
7 GOLD MEDALS🥇🤯
After squeaking past Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade for the all-around gold — winning by a little more than a point — Biles made a statement that some took as a sign she could be leaving the international stage soon and leaving the future to her rival.
“It’s good. I’m gonna hand it to her now – she can have the rest,” Biles said, via Gymnastics Now.
Biles has also left open the possibility that she could return to compete in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
“Never say never. The next Olympics is at home, so you just never know,” she said on August 3, via USA Today. “But I am getting really old.”
Biles returned to the Olympics after having to drop out of several events at the Tokyo Olympics after suffering the “twisties,” a condition that caused her to lose orientation while flying through the air.
Biles has already spoken a bit about her future, telling The Associated Press in May that she plans to go on tour after the Olympics but has not thought of what might come after that.
“I would never say never and I think that would be amazing to [do this] after every Olympic cycle,” she said. “I think that would be a beautiful thing. But right now I can’t tell you yes or no. Like, no definitive answers because I don’t know what life will look like in the next few years to come.”
Simone Biles Can Still Make History
Biles still has plenty of work to do in Paris. She will compete in the balance beam final on August 5 and the floor exercise final just a few hours later.
Biles already has seven gold medals in her career, and two more would put her second place all-time for American Olympians.
She also has another job in the meantime. When a fan asked Biles what is ner “next step” after winning two gold medals, the gymnast had a succinct reply.
“Babysitting the medal,” Biles replied.
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Simone Biles Makes Blunt Statement on Questions About Her Future