Simone Biles is back home after a busy few weeks in Paris. Following her successful run at the 2024 Olympics and a wild night out after the Sunday, August 11, closing ceremony, the gymnast revealed that she landed back in the United States on Monday, August 12. After sharing a photo of her plane approaching her home country, Simone, 27, posted a makeup-free selfie from bed with the caption, “Never been so happy.” Simone had been in Paris since the middle of July ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games. After performing in the qualifying round, she began several days of competition on July 30, when she competed in the team finals with her USA teammates Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee, Hezly Rivera and Jade Carey. The women took home the gold medal.
The athlete from Ohio continued to participate in the individual all-around and vault events, earning two additional gold medals.
Despite not achieving a placement in the balance beam category, Simone secured a silver medal in floor exercise on August 5th. Following the competition, she enjoyed several days of free time to tour the city and spectate other sporting events before the closing ceremony.
Reflecting on her experience, she shared on Instagram, “It was such an honor.” Simone expressed her struggle to find the right words to sum up her Olympic journey, acknowledging that it had been a whirlwind. Nevertheless, she emphasized her lasting gratitude for representing the United States.
After the closing ceremony, Simone hit the town for a night out, which admittedly took a toll when she woke up the following morning. “The reason I’m unwell this morning,” she captioned an Instagram Story video from the club. In a separate video, she added, “If you see me out at the club, pls tell me to go home. For my own sake & health in the am,” along with a crying laughing emoji. This successful Olympic run comes after Simone withdrew from multiple events due to a mental block called the “twisties” at the 2020 Games. While she once feared she would never compete again, the professional athlete came back better than ever in Paris. She also is not ruling out a return to the mat during the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. “You never say never,” she admitted after the vault final. “The next Olympics is on home turf, so you never know. I’m just gonna relax and see where life takes me.”
She later clarified that she did not want to be questioned about her future plans at the moment.
She wrote on X, “Athletes should not be continuously asked about their next steps after winning a medal at the Olympics. Let us enjoy the moment we have worked so hard for.” Simone had previously earned gold medals in team competition, individual all-around, vault, and floor at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, along with a bronze on the balance beam.
She also won silver as part of Team USA at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, in addition to a bronze on the balance beam, which was the only individual event she participated in.
Simone is the most decorated gymnast in history.