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Simone Biles Says People ‘Really Gotta Stop’ Asking ‘What’s Next?’ After Athletes Win Gold Medals
Simone Biles wants to take in the moments of her Olympic victories without worrying about the future. After winning a gold medal in vault on Saturday, August, 3, Simone took to X to shut down people asking her about her plans for what’s next.
“you guys really gotta stop asking athletes what’s next after they win a medal at the Olympics,” Simone, 27, wrote. “let us soak up the moment we’ve worked our whole lives for.”
The professional athlete has already won three gold medals at the 2024 Games, taking home the top honor in the team competition, individual all-around, and vault. She will compete on balance beam and floor exercise on Monday, August 5.
Despite Simone’s frustrations regarding questions about her future, she did answer a question about whether she’ll return for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles during a press conference after her vault victory. Simone confirmed that she wouldn’t compete the difficult Yurchenko double pike again, but didn’t rule out a return to the Olympics.
“Never say never,” she told reporters. “The next Olympics is at home. So, you just never know. But I am getting really old.” Simone is the oldest gymnast on the U.S. women’s team.
With her three gold medals at the 2024 Games, the Ohio native is now a seven-time gold medal winner. She previously took home the honor in the team competition, all-around, vault, and floor at the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro. That year, she also won bronze on balance beam. At the 2020 Games, Simone earned a silver medal as part of Team USA, but then withdrew from several competitions due to suffering a mental block called the “twisties.” She returned for balance beam and won bronze once again.
“I never thought I was going to be competing again after Tokyo,” Simone admitted in her Netflix docuseries Simone Biles: Rising. “I had to fight demons, day in and day out in training. I really have to prove to myself that I can do this. I get to write my own ending.”
Along with Simone, the United States gymnastics team also includes Jade Carey, Hezly Rivera, Suni Lee and Jordan Chiles. Aside from Hezly, 16, all of the women were also on the team in Tokyo in 2021 (the 2020 Games were postponed for one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
“I feel like I learned the most about myself during Tokyo,” Simone previously said. “How courageous, how brave I am. Because I always like to fake bravery. But I really think that solidified me being brave, speaking up for myself and just putting myself first.”
The gymnast has been extremely open about her mental health struggles. ““For anyone saying I quit, I didn’t quit,” she wrote after withdrawing in 2021. “My mind & body are simply not in sync. I don’t think you realize how dangerous this is on hard/competition surfaces. Nor do I have to explain why I put my health first. Physical health is mental health. Literally can not tell up from down. It’s the craziest feeling ever. Not having an inch of control over your body. What’s even scarier is since I have no idea where I am in the air, I also have NO idea how I am going to land. Or what I am going to land on. Head/hands/feet back…I didn’t have a bad performance and quit. I’ve had plenty of bad performances throughout my career and finished competitions. I simply got so lost my safety was at risk as well as a team medal.”
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