The gymnastic superstar Simone Biles finalized her Paris Olympic experience with a total of four medals (three gold, one silver) around her neck — and a medical boot on her left foot.
Biles, who is the greatest of all time won three gold medals during the Summer Games, appeared on NBC’s Today and told host Hoda Kotb that she was wearing the boot after her floor exercise on Monday for “precautionary” reasons.
“We’re resting up as much as possible,” Biles said on the TV show on Tuesday. “We have a tour in a couple of weeks. So, I’m just going to rest and heal.”
The “Gold Over America Tour” is scheduled for 30 arenas in the fall. However, Biles, who was wearing the boot after the floor exercise, her final event, is safeguarding herself.
“I feel like elite athletes are pretty tough, so we’re just, through pain or pleasure, we’re ready for whatever,” she told NBC’s Mike Tirico following her floor exercise, according to the TODAY report.
What happened to Simone Biles’ calf?
The 27-year-old gymnast tweaked her calf earlier in the competition, in a boot isn’t the first sign of the gymnast raising a potential red flag of a physical issue in Paris.
During the qualifying round on her first day of competition, Biles “felt a little something in her calf” during warm-up on the floor, her coach told NPR at the time.
Biles had her ankle wrapped with tape as a result of the issue. But, according to her coach, it was “never in [Biles’] mind” that she’d withdraw from qualifications
Biles had won an individual all-around gold medal on Aug. 1. Two days later, she topped it up with gold in the vault, and a silver in the floor exercise on Aug. 5. However, Biles didn’t medal in the balance beam, TODAY reported in another story.
Biles won her 11th Olympic medal and seventh gold in Paris. That puts her in striking range of Soviet legend Larisa Latynina’s nine golds, the most of any gymnast, NBC Sports reported.
When asked about competing in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, Biles left things up in the air, saying, ”Never Say Never”
