Aly Raisman: I'm going to be in Paris and I'm really excited to watch Simone Biles

Simone Biles and Aly Raisman have been best friends for a long time. The two became close friends back in 2016 when they were teammates on the “Final Five” US Olympic team. At the Rio Olympics, Biles and Raisman won gold in the team events alongside their compatriots and also shared the podium in the all-around event.

Though they won't be competing at the Paris Olympics together, Raisman is excited to cheer on her World Champion friend from the sidelines when the time comes.

“I'm going to be in Paris and I'm really excited to watch her and the rest of the U.S. gymnastics team. It's really exciting. And I, of course, am going to be rooting for her and always wishing her the best,” she told PEOPLE in an interview.

In the same interview, 29-year-old Raisman also opened up about how proud she is of Simone Biles for still competing at the highest levels of the sport.

“It's so exciting to watch Simone. I'm so impressed and so proud of her. It's just really, truly amazing. I'm really in awe that she is still competing. I just really admire and am impressed with how she just does such a good job of having balance in her life,” she said.

“I love watching her not only succeed in gymnastics — she works so hard and she's doing so well — but also in her personal life. She just seems so happy and she's having so much fun, and that just makes me really happy to see,” she went on to add.

Simone Biles and Aly Raisman’s friendship timeline

Simone Biles and Aly Raisman bonded when they became teammates for the 2016 Rio Olympics. While it was Biles’ Olympic debut, it was Raisman's second Olympics and her second time captaining the American team,

Alongside teammates Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez, and Madison Kocian, the two stormed their way to fold in the team event. Meanwhile, they also finished with medals in the all-around, with Biles taking the gold and Raisman finishing with a silver.

While the duo didn't get a chance to share the Olympic stage after their stint at Rio, their bond has proven unbreakable. Biles pulled out of the Tokyo Olympics finals in 2021, and Raisman was one of the first people to speak out in support of her friend. The 29-year-old was even present at Simone Biles’ wedding to Green Bay Packers safety Jonathan Owens, in May 2023.

While the two might not compete together anymore, they often get together in their free time, much to the delight of their fans.