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Simone Biles is back atop the gymnastics world but could be keeping an eye toward the end of her career, based on a cryptic comment she made after winning a gold medal August 1 at the Paris Olympics.
“I don’t want to compete with Rebeca no more,” Biles said, via Gymnastics Now. “I’m tired. Like, she’s way too close. I’ve never had an athlete that close.”
Biles, 27, beat Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade by little more than a point in the all-around final. The Associated Press noted that the final was one of the closest matches for Biles in any major international event.
Biles then made a cryptic comment that some interpreted as her being ready to turn over the future of the sport to the next generation.
“It’s good. I’m gonna hand it to her now – she can have the rest,” Biles said.
Fans React to Simone Biles’ Statement
Biles had not yet hinted when she could retire from the sport, though some fans saw her post-event remark as a sign that the end is coming soon.
“I think Simone will retire from bars but I sincerely hope she keeps going on the other three,” a fan wrote on X.
Others said they could envision Biles returning for another Summer Games in four years if she decides to keep competing. Biles would be 31 years old if she were to compete in the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles. She’s already the oldest gymnast to win an all-around gold since the Soviet Union’s Maria Ghorokhovskaya in 1952. She was 30 years and 266 days old.
“I ain’t buying it til she comes out and says the words ‘I’m retiring, I’m done,’ ” another fan wrote on X. “It’ll be January 2028 and Simone will prob be like ‘……actuallyyy’ ”
Biles already has post-Olympic plans, taking her Gold Over America Tour across the United States in the fall. She told The Associated Press in May that she was not sure whether she would participate in the tour again and expressed uncertainty about what her future would bring.
“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 Basking in Her Moment
For now, Biles appears content to celebrate her sixth Olympic gold medal. She celebrated on Thursday by donning a goat necklace to show off her status as the “greatest of all time.”
“My GOAT necklace is just kind of an ode, because the people love it and some people hate it,” Biles said. “So, it’s like the best of both worlds. I was like, ‘OK, if it goes well, we’ll wear the GOAT necklace.’ I know people will go crazy over it but at the end of the day it is crazy that I am in the conversation of ‘Greatest of all athletes’ because I just still think, ‘I’m Simone Biles from Spring, Texas who loves to flip.’ ”
Biles managed to earn gold despite some struggles in the uneven bars, where she recorded her lowest score of the competition (13.733). The gold medalist made up for it with excellent scores in the vault (15.766) and beam (14.566) before ending the competition with a show-stopping floor routine (15.066).
Biles finished with a total score of 59.131, just ahead of Andrade at 57.932 with fellow American Suni Lee taking bronze with a score of 56.465.
For Andrade, taking home silver was still a great accomplishment.
“I’ve worked so hard to achieve this,” Andrade said, via The Associated Press. “It’s just unbelievable. I had so much fun, every single moment has been sensational.”
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