Well, it looks like Simone Biles isn’t ready to hang up her leotard just yet!
On Saturday, August 3, Simone—who’s basically the superhero of gymnastics—took home the gold in the individual vault final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. That’s her third gold this year and her seventh overall. I’m starting to think her middle name might be “Medal Collector.”
At a press conference post-victory, someone had the nerve to ask, “Is this the last time we’ll see you vaulting?”
Simone, with a grin that said she’s clearly enjoying being the center of the universe, replied, “Oh, this Yurchenko double pike? Totally nailed it. But hey, never say never. The next Olympics are in Los Angeles—so who knows? I might just show up and make everyone else look like they’re still in gymnastics kindergarten. But yeah, I am getting on in years.”
So, if Simone decides to grace us with her presence at the 2028 Summer Olympics, she’ll be 31 and the only American gymnast to ever qualify for four Olympics. This means she’s already the oldest female gymnast to qualify for Team USA since, well, the 1950s. She’s basically the gymnastic equivalent of a fine wine—getting better with age and probably causing a lot of envy among the younger competitors!
