Simone Biles has become the most decorated U.S. gymnast in Olympic history, winning her eighth Olympic medal on Tuesday night. Biles, 27, and her teammates—Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera—secured gold in the team final at the 2024 Paris Games.
This victory surpasses former gymnast Shannon Miller’s record of seven medals from the 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta Games, as reported by People.
Her latest Olympic medal marks her 38th combined medal from the Olympics and World Championships, cementing her status as the most decorated gymnast in history, male or female.
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However, when asked about this milestone at a press conference following their team’s win, Biles parried the interest in the question.
“Honestly, I would have had to Google that,” she told reporters. “I don’t keep count, I don’t keep stats. I just go out here and do what I’m supposed to and I’m doing what I love and enjoying it, so that’s really all that matiters to me.”
“Yes, it’s amazing, now that I hear it, but I don’t think I’ll truly understand the depth of it until I walk away from the sport,” Biles added.
This gold medal marks Biles’ fifth in the Olympic competition, adding to her collection of one silver and two bronze medals. The victory represents a major comeback for her after she withdrew from the same event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to the “twisties,” which impaired her ability to safely perform her intricate routines.
U.S. gymnastics technical coach Chellsie Memmel was full of praise for Biles for her remarkable ability to achieve success again following her withdrawal from the Tokyo Olympics.
“I think it speaks volumes of her strength,” Memmel said. “What she was able to come back from with the whole world watching, with the whole world watching with a magnifying glass again, just waiting to see what she was going to do.”
“We all knew she could do it, like that wasn’t ever a question in my mind that she could do it, and it continues to just solidify her place as the greatest gymnast of all time.”
