Ask any kid who their favorite gymnast is and they will proudly say, Simone Biles! The star gymnast is aware of this love. No wonder she was seen wearing a sparkling 3D goat necklace after winning the all-around final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. It was made up of 546 diamonds and was in reference to her being the G.O.A.T. of the sport. But hey, even the greatest have their favorites. For instance, back in 2015, Biles couldn’t stop gushing about Alicia Sacramone.

“When I was growing up I was like, ‘Since I can’t do bars and I’m bad at it, I’m just going to do what Alicia does’. So I thought I was going to be exactly like her and be specialist on three events,” Biles had confessed. That explains why she didn’t qualify to compete on the uneven bars in Paris. However, considering the gymnast has been to the Olympics thrice (2016 Rio, 2021 Tokyo, and 2024 Paris), does she also have a favorite teammate?

Yes, she does! And let us warn you; it isn’t Jordan Chiles or Suni Lee!

Speaking to Sports Illustrated, the Olympic gold medalist revealed: “Favorite teammate ever: Aly Raisman. I looked up to her so much. She was such a good role model. She always kept my nerves down, and yeah, we were two peas in a pod, and we’re really close to this day.”

And when Biles was asked which moment she would like to relive from her entire Olympics journey, the answer was Raisman once again. “If I could relive any moment from the Olympics, I would say 2016 all-around with Aly Raisman, just because we were so stressed out and I think we could have had a little bit more fun and live in the moment.”

They were teammates at the 2016 Rio Olympics. While it was Biles’ debut at the Summer Games, it also happened to be Raisman’s last Olympics at the age of 22. As s senior, she guided a 19-year-old rookie Biles, who would tease her a lot!

Raisman was only 22 when Biles started calling her “Grandma”. Well, at that time, Aly Raisman was a seasoned veteran who was selected to lead her team in Rio. She would have to take breaks during training and that’s the reason Biles would tease her. But the reality was that they would train so much, and this included training on the mornings of the competition, that the former gymnast would need a few minutes to herself.

However, when Biles started training for the Tokyo Games, she understood how age made it difficult. Raisman revealed, “She [Biles] had said to me, ‘Okay, I get it now. Now I feel like I need to nap and rest’.” 

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Well, it’s Not that Simone dis-liked either Jordan or Suni, the Question was, who was your favorite Teammate?.?.Well, it was...more

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It was the same story in Paris where she competed at age 27. No wonder Simone Biles confessed, “So now, I definitely have to apologize to Aly for calling her grandma because, whew, I feel like I’m way older now than me calling her grandma when we were younger.”

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

However, prior to the Tokyo Olympics, Raisman announced her retirement from professional gymnastics, and while it was a significant blow to Biles, she appreciated her decision. Indeed, their relationship grew as friends and never deteriorated. Raisman also got the opportunity to witness the glorious comeback of her former teammate in Paris, and she also offered an interesting question to the Team USA women’s gymnastics leader.

Simone Biles: From calling Aly Raisman ‘Grandma’ to becoming a part of the oldest team

While Simone Biles’ former teammate Aly Raisman wasn’t a member of Team USA in Paris, she attended the press conference after Biles took her team to the top step of the podium at the French capital. Indeed, the former gymnast was curious if Biles, as a team leader, had any particular name for her squad. “F**k Around and Find Five,” the gymnast playfully named her team after being asked about it.

However, later on, on social media Biles gave an actual name to her Olympic Games squad, stating, “Okay on the real though, the official team name is ✨golden girls✨ (because oldest olympic team) s/o to cecile🥹🤍.” With an average age of 22.467, the team consisted of Biles (27), Jade Carey (24), Jordan Chiles (23), Suni Lee (21), and Hezly Rivera (16). Thus, they were the oldest U.S. women’s gymnastics team at the Olympics since 1952.

Now there is just one question that has been bugging fans. Is Simone Biles ready to retire? Well, there is no concrete answer to that as the gymnast has been quite evasive in answering such questions ever since her Paris Olympics victory. By the time LA 2028 rolls in, the gymnast will be in her 30s.

So, it will be interesting to see what she decides, don’t you think?