Current:Home > MarketsSimone Biles Wants People to Stop Asking Olympic Medalists This One Question-InfoLens
Simone Biles Wants People to Stop Asking Olympic Medalists This One Question
View Date:2024-12-23 11:40:20
Simone Biles wants fellow Olympic champions to be given time to enjoy their winning moments.
After earning her third gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics and answering questions about her future at a press conference, the most decorated U.S. Olympic gymnast in history issued a public appeal.
"You guys really gotta stop asking athletes what’s next after they win a medal at the Olympics," Simone, who has won seven Olympic gold medals and 10 overall since her debut at the Games in Rio in 2016, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, Aug. 4. "Let us soak up the moment we’ve worked our whole lives for."
A day earlier, the 27-year-old came in first place in the women's gymnastics individual vault final, which followed her gold medal victory in the individual all-around competition and Team USA's collective No. 1 performance at the team final earlier in the week.
At an Aug. 3 press conference, Biles spoke about her Olympic future.
Asked if she had taken part in her final vault competition, Biles referenced her winning performance from earlier that day, saying, "Is this my last? Definitely the Yurchenko double pike. I mean, I kind of nailed that one."
Biles then gave a hint about whether she would compete at all in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, which would mark her fourth Olympic run.
"Never say never," the athlete said. "The next Olympics is at home, so you just never know."
She added, laughing, "But I am getting really old."
While Biles is not the oldest Olympic champion, she is the oldest Olympic all-around winner in 72 years since Maria Gorokhovskaya competed at the Helsinki Olympics in 1952 at age 30. And former Team USA gymnast Marie Margaret Hoesley was 35 when she took part in the same competition.
The oldest gymnast to compete in the Olympic Games is Uzbek athlete Oksana Chusovitina, who was 46 when she took part in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Read on to relive some of the most emotional moments from the 2024 Paris Olympics...
USA gymnast Simone Biles beams after winning gold in the women's all-around final, sporting her "GOAT" necklace.
Great Britain's Andy Murray—who announced his retirement before the Paris Games—tearfully bids farewell to the crowd after being eliminated alongside Dan Evans in the men's doubles.
Tomokazu Harimoto of Team Japan lets off some steam during his match against China's Fan Zhendong.
Men's 200m backstroke silver medalist Apostolos Christou of Greece gets emotional while standing on the podium.
Spanish tennis Carlos Alcaraz lets out a victorious scream after defeating Tommy Paul of Team USA in men's single.
Great Britain's bronze medalists Andrea Spendolini Sirieix and Lois Toulson share a raw moment after the women's synchronized 10m platform diving final.
Korbin Albert gets emotional after scoring a goal in the women's soccer game.
Team Sweden's Sarah Sjoestroem celebrates her gold medal in the Women's 100m Freestyle Final.
Team USA's Katie Ledecky reacts to winning gold in the Women's 1500m Freestyle Final.
French swimmer Anastasiia Kirpichnikova cries tears of joy after seeing her silver medal-winning time in women's 1500m freestyle event.
Serbia's Nemanja Majdov (L) and Greece's Theodoros Tselidis (R) share a moment after their round in the men's 90kg round of 16 in judo. Tselildis, who beat Majdov, later won the bronze medal.
Manon Apithy-Brunet (L) kisses her husband France's Bolade Apithy after his team beat Egypt.
Gold medalist Alex Yee of Team Great Britain and silver medalist Hayden Wilde of Team New Zealand share a subtle celebratory moment after crossing the finish line.
Team New Zealand leaps for joy after beating Canada in the Women's Rugby Sevens Gold medal match.
Agustina Gorzelany of Team Argentina celebrates her team's first goal in a match against Spain. Argentina ended up winning the match 2-1.
Team Guatemala's Adriana Ruano Oliva gets emotional after realizing she's won the gold medal—her country's very first—in the shooting trap women's final.
Andy Murray and Dan Evans of Great Britain embrace in celebration after besting Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen of Team Belgium in Men's Doubles second round match.
Great Britain's Tom Dean celebrates, along with fellow teammates, after his win in the men's 4x100m freestyle relay.
Simone Biles expresses elation after securing the gold medal for Team USA in the women's gymnastics team final, making her the most decorated gymnast in history.
Team Italy reacts after finishing the women's gymnastics all around team final with a silver medal.
Coco Gauff listens to a call made against her during a July 30 match against Croatia's Donna Vekic. The controversial line correction ended the tennis champion's run in the 2024 Olympics.
Jasmine Paolini reacts during her match with Slovakia's Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. She lost the match, exiting the games.
Serbian sports shooter Zorana Arunovic kisses her gold medal—her first time medaling in the sport after competing in London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
Kazuma Kaya and the rest of Team Japan celebrate after earning a gold medal for the artistic gymnastics men's team final. They were followed by Team China with silver, and Team USA with bronze.
Adam Burgess of Great Britain celebrates after completing his event. His team took home a silver and bronze medal for canoe slalom, a sport that sees competitors navigate a whitewater course.
Team Malaysia's Tang Jie Chen and Ee Wei Toh celebrate after beating China during the mixed doubles play stage.
Asher Hong of Team USA celebrates after completing the vault at the men's team final. He placed 9th in his event, and helped earn the Team USA men's gymnastics team a bronze medal.
French fencer Manon Apithy-Brunet reacts after beating South Korea's Choi Se-bin in the women's semifinal bout.
Serbia's Novak Djokovic holds up his racket in celebration after defeating Rafael Nadal of Spain in a second round match of the Men's Singles tournament.
Ezinne Kalu and the rest of Team Nigeria celebrate their win against Team Australia.
Watch the 2024 Paris Olympics daily on NBC and Peacock until the summer games end with the Closing Ceremony on Sunday, Aug. 11, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.veryGood! (539)
Related
- Tennessee fugitive accused of killing a man and lying about a bear chase is caught in South Carolina
- Shohei Ohtani's former Angels teammates 'shocked' about interpreter's gambling allegations
- Lawmakers who passed a bill to lure nuclear energy to Kentucky say coal is still king
- Recent assaults, attempted attacks against Congress and staffers raise concerns
- RHOP's Candiace Dillard Bassett Gives Birth, Shares First Photos of Baby Boy
- Relatives of Tyre Nichols, George Floyd and Eric Garner say lack of police reform is frustrating
- Chrishell Stause & Paige DeSorbo Use These Teeth Whitening Strips: Save 35% During Amazon’s Big Sale
- Man facing gun and drug charges fatally shot outside Connecticut courthouse. Lawyer calls it a ‘hit’
- Arbitrator upholds 5-year bans of Bad Bunny baseball agency leaders, cuts agent penalty to 3 years
- The Diane von Furstenberg x Target Collection Is Officially Here—This Is What You Need To Buy ASAP
Ranking
- What Happened to Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone Character? John Dutton’s Fate Revealed
- Regina King Offers Sweet Gesture to Jimmy Kimmel During Conversation After Her Son's Death
- Women’s March Madness live updates: Iowa State makes historic comeback, bracket, highlights
- North Carolina’s highest court won’t revive challenge to remove Civil War governor’s monument
- More than 150 pronghorns hit, killed on Colorado roads as animals sought shelter from snow
- Federal judge temporarily blocks plans for a power line in Mississippi River wildlife refuge
- Horoscopes Today, March 22, 2024
- Almost 60, Lenny Kravitz talks workouts, new music and why he's 'never felt more vibrant'
Recommendation
-
Will Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul end in KO? Boxers handle question differently
-
Kamala Harris to tour blood-stained building where 2018 Florida school massacre happened
-
The Politics Behind the SEC’s New Climate Disclosure Rule—and What It Means for Investors
-
Virginia police identify 5 killed in small private jet crash near rural airport
-
Nicky Hilton Shares Her Christmas Plans With Paris, the Secret To Perfect Skin & More Holiday Gift Picks
-
Miami Beach touts successful break up with spring break. Businesses tell a different story
-
Elevate Your Spring Wardrobe For Less With These Can't-Miss Fashion Deals From Amazon's Big Spring Sale
-
Every 'Ghostbusters' movie, ranked from worst to best (including the new 'Frozen Empire')