Simone Biles Got Real About When She Plans To Retire From Gymnastics
*covers ears* I can't hear you.
Simone Biles is the G.O.A.T. — she even has the bedazzled goat leotards to match her title. In 2019, the 24-year-old Olympian became the most decorated gymnast of all time (male or female, period), and right now, she holds a total of 30 world championship and Olympic medals. But when an athlete is as much of a boss as Biles is, people always wonder what’s next. Right now, you might be asking: When will Simone Biles retire from gymnastics? Her answer is so juicy.
Aside from kicking butt in her highly competitive sport (just last week, she claimed her 7th U.S. championship and is now qualified for the Olympic trials in late June), Biles is truly living her best life. In a recent cover story with Glamour, she revealed she recently bought a house in her home state of Texas; she’s also been spending lots of quality time with her boo thing of almost one year, fellow athlete Jonathan Owens.
Since Biles is already wildly accomplished in her career and gymnasts often leave the sport in their 20s, there’s been speculation she might retire from the gymnastics limelight sometime soon. If you’ve been wondering what Biles’ career plans are, you’ll be happy to hear she opened up about them in her June 15 Glamour interview.
“I’ve already done quite a lot, but I’m still trying to reach new heights and see what I’m capable of,” she said about possibly retiring after the 2024 Paris Olympics. “My coaches are from Paris, so I think that would be a good run to end with them there. I’ll see where we go.”
So, is Biles retiring just yet? Nope. Although she plans to compete at this year’s Olympics in Tokyo, you may still see her at the Summer Olympics in three years. Biles even noted that after all this time, she still loves her sport.
“I’m not a little girl anymore — It’s definitely up to me [to continue competing],” she said. “Nobody’s forcing me. Whenever you’re younger, you feel like it’s a job, and you have to be pushed. But now it’s like, This is what I want to do, so that’s why I’m here.”
Still, she said she’s down for new experiences: “I’m just really excited to see what’s out there in the world and to see what else I’m good at,” she confessed. Biles can do no wrong — so whatever her plans are, I stan them!
