Simone Biles Apologizes to Aly Raisman for Calling Her 'Grandma' at Age 22: 'I'm a Lot Older'
"I definitely have to apologize to Aly for calling her grandma because I feel like I’m way older now," Biles said
Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast ever, has officially made history by qualifying for her third Olympic Games. And now, at 27 years old, she has a different outlook on how she perceived friend and former team captain Aly Raisman, who was once dubbed the “grandma” of the team.
After qualifying for the U.S. Olympic women’s gymnastics team on Sunday, June 30, Biles spoke with the press and the topic of her age — which makes her as one of the oldest gymnasts competing at the upcoming Summer Games — came up, prompting her to offer an apology to Raisman, who was just 22 when she was the team captain at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
“So now, I definitely have to apologize to Aly for calling her grandma because, whew, I feel like I’m way older now than me calling her grandma when we were younger," Biles said during the press conference, according to Gymnastics Now.
"And you know, it’s what 11 [p.m.]? So, it’s definitely past my bedtime, so I know Aly would be cracking up right now. But yeah, it’s crazy. I’m a lot older and more mature. What was the rest of the question? See, I’m forgetting,” she continued, poking fun at herself.
As the senior member of Team USA, she also explained her recovery process and how differently her body feels now in comparison to the Rio Games eight years ago.
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“I definitely have to take care of recovery mentally, physically. After Classics, I swore I couldn't walk. I was like hobbling to the plane, so that was exciting. After Championships, I felt a little bit better and after day one of Trials, I was actually surprised I could walk. So I was like, 'Woo, I'm actually not as sore, I'm not hurting,' " the gymnast said.
Biles continued, "So it takes a big part. So recovery, I just have to take a little bit more serious. Back in Rio, I could do anything. I'd never needed tape, nothing. I was just like a little hamster on a wheel, always running.”
Biles maintained her lead throughout the U.S. women's Olympic trials and now, as she prepares for Paris Games, she is only the fourth American woman ever to make it on three gymnastics teams.
The Olympics are also set to be a redemption arc for her after she suffered from a debilitating case of the "twisties" in Tokyo in 2021 and dropped out of the majority of her events.
To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, visit TeamUSA.com and come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. Watch the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, beginning July 26, on NBC and Peacock.
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