At age 27 Simone Biles is the oldest female gymnast on the U.S. team to compete in the Olympics in 72 years. The seven-time Olympic medalist reflects on how she dealt with “older” gymnasts, like 30-year-olds, as she made history. Aly Raisman.
On Sunday, June 30, after qualifying for the U.S. Olympic women’s gymnastics team, Biles She was criticized in the press for her age and apologized to Raisman, who was 22 at the time and was team captain. 2016 Rio Olympics.
“I definitely owe Ally an apology for calling her grandma because, wow,” she said at the press conference. “I feel a lot older now than when we were little and we used to call her grandma.”
Eight years after her first Olympics in Rio, 27-year-old Simone Biles apologized to former team captain Aly Raisman, who was then 22 and called her “grandma.” 😅💀🤪#USAGTrial24 #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/f0bhUnZ8O3
— Gymnastics Now (@Gymnastics_Now) July 1, 2024
“And, you know, it’s 11 [p.m.]”So it’s past my bedtime,” she joked. “And Allie must be laughing her head off right now. I’m a lot older and a grown-up. What were the rest of the questions? See, I forgot.”
The oldest member of the U.S. team also spoke about her recovery process and how her body feels now compared to eight years ago in Rio.
“You have to focus on your recovery, both mentally and physically. After Classic I didn’t think I’d be able to walk. I was limping to the plane and I was really excited. After Championships I felt a little better and after the first day of Trials I was really surprised that I could walk. So I thought, ‘Wow, actually it doesn’t hurt that much, it doesn’t hurt,'” the gymnast said.
Biles continued, “So recovery is a big part of it. So I have to take my recovery a little bit more seriously. In Rio, I could do everything. I didn’t need tape. I was just running all the time, like a little hamster on a wheel.”
Biles suffered a serious ankle sprain at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, forcing her to withdraw from most events, so the 2024 Olympics will be her chance for revenge.