Simone Biles Wears Walking Boot After Injuring Calf at 2024 Olympics: ‘It’s Just Precautionary’

Simone Biles is doing whatever it takes to prevent her calf pain from getting worse after an injury at the 2024 Olympics. Following her final competition at the Games on Monday, August, 5, Simone sat down for an interview with NBC’s Mike Tirico and was wearing a walking boot on her left foot.

“Calf is good,” Simone, 27, confirmed. “It’s just precautionary, making sure. Because we still have tour after this, to heal up and all of that stuff. So, just a little bit of soreness.”

Viewers first noticed Simone experiencing discomfort in her calf after a fall during warmups for floor exercise in the qualifying round of the Olympics on July 28. Despite limping on the sidelines and getting her calf heavily taped for the competition, Simone went on to win a gold medal in the team competition, the individual all-around and vault. She also took home silver in floor exercise.

While footage of her warmup fall played in the background, Simone admitted, “I feel like elite athletes are pretty tough, so we’re just, through pain or pleasure, we’re ready for whatever. So mainly, what you’re seeing here, I was just trying to over rotate for good measure, and I did just that, and almost knocked [my coach] Laurent out. But it was good.”

Her experience at the 2024 Games was much different than what she went through in Tokyo in 2021, during which she withdrew from a majority of events after experiencing a mental block called the “twisties.” Although the Ohio native has admitted she once didn’t know if she’d ever return to gymnastics again, she persevered and continued to rack up the medals during her comeback.

“I’m a lot happier,” she confirmed. “I chose to do this. 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.”

After taking home the gold medal for vault on August 3, Simone discussed the possibility of returning for the Olympics in 2028, which are taking place in Los Angeles. “ Never say never ,” she teased. “The next Olympics is at home. So, you just never know. But I am getting really old.”

However, she then made it clear on social media that she didn’t want to answer any more questions about her future. “you guys really gotta stop asking athletes what’s next after they win a medal at the Olympics,” she posted on X. “let us soak up the moment we’ve worked our whole lives for.”

Simone’s gymnastics comeback was documented in the Netflix series Simone Biles: Rising. Cameras continued to film the professional athlete’s journey at the Olympics and the remaining episodes will be released sometime this fall.

“The legacy, I feel like, is just having fun, doing what you love and that’s what I try to instill in [my teammates] every single day in practice,” Simone gushed. “It’s worth it because, I mean, we’re here in Paris, just won a couple medals, and it’s super exciting. You work your whole entire life for moments like this to represent your country on an Olympic stage, and we did just that this weekend. So we’re so proud.”