Simone Biles was spotted with a walking boot during an interview with NBC’s Mike Tirico following the conclusion of women’s gymnastics events at the Paris Olympics.
Biles took a tumble during warmups in Monday’s floor final and was seen re-taping her calf ahead of her routine. She went on to earn a silver medal in the event behind Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade.
“Calf is good, it’s just precautionary,” Biles told Tirico. “Making sure—because we still have tour after this—to heal up and all of that stuff. So just a little bit of soreness.”
Simone Biles had a historic #ParisOlympics. 🐐
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 6, 2024
Hear from the 11-time Olympic medalist after her final event at the 2024 Games. pic.twitter.com/CzdgIQKBrG
Biles had a calf injury scare earlier in the Games, when she was seen limping and getting her left lower leg taped in the qualifying round before the women’s gymnastics team finals on July 30. She fought through the injury and helped Team USA win gold, as well as went on to medal in three of four individual events in the past week.
“I feel like elite athletes are pretty tough, so we’re just, through pain or pleasure, we’re ready for whatever,” Biles said as NBC showed a video of her hurting her calf during her floor routine warmups. “So mainly, what you’re seeing here is I was just trying to over-rotate for good measure, and I did just that and almost knocked [USA Gymnastics coach] Laurent [Landi] out. But it was good.”
The 27-year-old will leave Paris with four more medals to her name, becoming the second-most decorated female gymnast in Olympic history with 11 medals in total. She previously told reporters that she wasn’t closing the door on competing in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles and didn’t elaborate on that further in her interview with Tirico.
“I’m a lot happier and I chose to do this,” Biles continued. “So at the end of the day, whatever happens, happens. But I’m in a good spot mentally and physically, so you can’t take that away from me. So whenever I’m out there, it’s just pure joy. Can’t believe I’m out there again, competing, representing my country, just having fun doing what I love.”
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Simone Biles Wore a Walking Boot to Post-Olympics NBC Interview After Calf Injury.
