Many are wondering if the Simone Biles last Olympics will be the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Some speculated that Biles would retire after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, particularly after her incident with the “twisties” that forced her to withdraw from multiple events at that event. And she did, stepping away from gymnastics for several years, before making a comeback for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Here’s whether Biles has said anything about retiring after the 2024 Paris Olympics and if she has her sights set on the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Will Paris 2024 be Simone Biles last Olympics?
Simone Biles is unsure whether the 2024 Paris Olympics will be her last and is not ruling out an attempt to represent the United States for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
In a May 2024 interview with the AP, Biles indicated that she isn’t saying “yes or no” when it comes to her future with the sport. “I would never say never,” she said, “and I think that it would be amazing to [do this] after every Olympic cycle. I think that would be a beautiful thing.” However, she has “no definitive answers” because she doesn’t know “what life will look like in the next few years to come.”
Biles would be 31 years old in 2028 if she were to attempt a run for the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. For the 2024 Paris Olympics, she could already become the oldest American woman to win a medal in gymnastics at the Olympics since 1948 and break other records for her age by winning various gold medals in Paris.
That said, Biles is hardly the oldest gymnast still competing in the sport. Oksana Chusovitina, the 49-year-old gymnast for Uzbekistan, still represents her country and competes on the vault. In an interview with Essentially Sports, she stated that Biles “is a very talented gymnast; perhaps nothing is impossible for her, including performing at the Games in Los Angeles.” 2012 Olympic all-around champion Gabby Douglas unfortunately had to step away from the 2024 season, but the 28-year-old gymnast said in an NBCOlympics interview that her plan “is to continue to train for the L.A. 2028 Olympics.”
It’s unclear if Biles will retire after the 2024 Paris Olympics. Even if she does retire, it may only be for a few years, just as she took a break for several years after the Tokyo Olympics. Also, being able to compete at a home Olympics is a rare opportunity for many athletes. That could entice Biles enough to make yet another comeback for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
