Can Simone Biles participate at Paris 2024 Olympics or will she retire earlier?

Simone Biles' Olympic career will most likely come to an end Tuesday after her last Tokyo appearance on the balance beam.

After having been Tokyo her 2nd Olympic participation, and at this point on her career with very little to accomplish after all she has already done, even if she previously gave hints of a possible participation in Paris 2024, her mind is now saying “stop”.

No confirmation yet

No confirmation of Biles’ retirement have been done official by team US or herself yet. Eventhough, Biles managed not to have big injuries throughout her career, her mental state is critical. However, her coach Laurent Laundi said that in the case she returns in Paris 2024 it will not be as an all-arounder but will try to qualify as a specialist on floor and vault, her two best events.

Biles feels “old” and “tired”

Out of all 24 participants who qualified for the female all-round final this year, only three gymnasts were over the age of 24: 27-year-old Elisabeth Seitz and Giulia Steingruber and 32-year-old Kim Bui. None of them managed to make the all-around final best VIII.

In fact, no female over the age of 19 has managed to win an all-around final since 1972, when 20-year-old Tourisheva achieved gold. Moreover, no woman over the age of 27 has earned gold in an all-around since 30-year-old Soviet Gorokhovskaya did nearly 70 years ago.

However, oftenly, the best female gymnasts tend to retire early. Examples of this are the best female gymnasts of history such as Nadia Comaneci, who retired at the age of 23, or the most-decorated gymnast Vitaly Sherbo, that did the same at the age of 25.

We have heard 24-year-old Simone Biles say she feels “old” and “tired” and has previously said several times that she was meant to retire after Tokyo but because the Games were postponed due to Covid and her coaches, Cecile and Lauri are French, she doesn’t discard participating at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

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