“I haven’t retired though, just working on my…” – Simone Biles quashes false claims of her retirement

Simone Biles stunned the world by announcing her shock withdrawal from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. She bowed out of the finals of the event citing mental health problems, which in turn started a conversation about athletes’ mental health.

The athlete has stayed away from competitions ever since and has been inactive for over a year.

With seven Olympic medals, Biles is the most decorated American gymnast of all time, tied with Shannon Miller. Biles’ inactivity in the previous year has led to speculation that she is on her way to retirement. However, the 25-year-old has now come out to dismiss such reports.

Simone Biles says she hasn't retired

Biles hasn’t competed in gymnastics since the Tokyo Olympics final. However, she has remained an active athlete by giving timely drug tests as per the FIG (Federal International De Gymnastique) policy. She even comments on her future plans from time to time and has barely mentioned any plans to retire.

Most recently, the four-time Olympic gold medalist was faced with a tweet that claimed that she had retired from the sport. Biles was quick to respond to the baseless rumor on Twitter.

One Twitter user wrote:

“My daughter learned that @Simone_Biles retired today and she has cried literally for the last hour.”

Biles quashed the rumor by stating that he was merely taking some time off and hasn’t retired yet. She replied:

“I haven’t retired though 💖 just working on my mental health.”

It is pertinent to note that this isn’t the first time Simone Biles has been linked to such rumors. The American star recently opened up on the anonymous reports she sees and rubbished them. Biles even hinted at a possible return at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Simone Biles says she ‘will be at Paris’

Biles’ future at the Olympics remains uncertain. However, she recently opened up on the same and suggested a possible return at the Paris Olympics. Much like her previous comments on the subject, Biles was fairly vague.

While speaking of her return to Paris, the gymnast didn’t specify her plans and stated that she might just end up in the audience. On a recent episode of the Late Late Show with James Corden, Simone Biles said:

“I’m still taking time for myself just to work on myself, mentally and physically… For Paris, as of now, I would say, I’ll be there regardless. I just don’t know if it will be as an athlete or as an audience member. So, we'll just have to see."

In September of 2021, Biles had pondered the same subject and said that she wished to appear at the Olympics. Speaking in an interview with Olympics.com, Biles said that the 2024 event was on her mind.

Biles reiterated the same in a different interview in November. She even went on to state that the Paris Olympics would be the perfect opportunity for her to hang up her boots. Addressing her inevitable retirement, Biles said that she has had a successful career so far and it seemed logical to go out on a high.