Simone Biles Apologizes to Former Team Captain Aly Raisman for ‘Old’ Nickname

vivian

July 2, 2024 7:00PM EDT

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 11: Simone Biles (L) of the United States waits for the score after competing on the floor with Alexandra Raisman (R) during the Women's Individual All Around Final on Day 6 of the 2016 Rio Olympics at Rio Olympic Arena on August 11, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

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The decorated gymnast can’t help but find the nickname given to Aly Raisman 8 years ago silly now as the oldest member of the American gymnastics team heading to Paris.

At 27 years old, Simone Biles is Team USA’s oldest female gymnast to compete at the Olympic Games in 72 years. As she makes history, the seven-time Olympic medalist reflects on how she has treated her “older” counterparts, like 30-year-old Aly Raisman.

MINNEAPOLIS, UNITED STATES – JUNE 30: (Back to front, left to right) Suni Lee, Hezly Rivera, Jade Carey, Simone Biles, and Jordan Chiles celebrate after being named at the U.S. Olympic Team for women’s gymnastics at Target Center in Minneapolis, United States on June 30, 2024. (Photo by Nikolas Liepins/Anadolu via Getty Images)

After qualifying for the U.S. Olympic women’s gymnastics team on Sunday, June 30, Biles spoke with the press about her age, prompting her to offer an apology to Raisman, who was just 22 when she was the team captain at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

“I definitely have to apologize to Aly for calling her grandma because, whew,” she said during the conference. “I feel like I’m way older now than me calling her grandma when we were younger.”

Eight years after her first Olympic Games in Rio, Simone Biles, 27, has an apology for her former team captain, Aly Raisman, who was dubbed “grandma” back then at just 22. 😅💀🤪#USAGTrials24 #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/f0bhUnZ8O3

— Gymnastics Now (@Gymnastics_Now) July 1, 2024

“And, you know, it’s what, 11 [p.m.]? So, it’s definitely past my bedtime,” she joked. “So, I know Aly would be cracking up right now. I’m a lot older and more mature. What was the rest of the question? See, I’m forgetting.”

As the oldest member of Team USA, she also explained her recovery process and how differently her body feels now in comparison to the Rio Games eight years ago.

“I definitely have to take care of recovery mentally, physically. After Classics, I swore I couldn’t walk. I was like hobbling to the plane, so that was exciting. After Championships, I felt a little bit better and after day one of Trials, I was actually surprised I could walk. So I was like, ‘Woo, I’m actually not as sore, I’m not hurting,’ ” the gymnast said.

MINNEAPOLIS, UNITED STATES – JUNE 30: Simone Biles competes in the floor exercise during the women’s U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials on June 30, 2024, in Minneapolis. (Photo by Nikolas Liepins/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Biles continued, “So it takes a big part. So recovery, I just have to take a little bit more serious. Back in Rio, I could do anything. I’d never needed tape, nothing. I was just like a little hamster on a wheel, always running.”

The 2024 Olympics are set to be a redemption arc for Biles after she suffered from a debilitating case of the “twisties” in Tokyo in 2021 and dropped out of the majority of her events.