Aly Raisman and Simone Biles have forged a bond that transcends their extraordinary athletic feats. However, after qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics, Simone Biles just apologized to Raisman. But to know the reason behind this, fans would have to go down memory lane and dig a story from the chapters of the 2016 Rio Olympics.

It was in January 2016, when Biles talking about Aly Raisman stated that “She’s like our sleeping little grandma”. And this statement from Biles ignited a playful camaraderie between the two gymnasts. To this Raisman replied, “She always says that I sleep a lot. She looks at me like I’m the crazy one, but I think she’s the crazy one”. And while fans were engrossed in their playful banter, Raisman chose to turn the tables. 

After a few months, when the two were traveling, the then 19-year-old Biles was trying to take a nap on the flight. And, Raisman did not lose her opportunity to take sweet revenge. She captured the moment in her gallery and shared the photo on her social media, she wrote, “Who’s the grandma now guys?”. And now after eight long years, 27-year-old Biles chose to turn the pages back and reflected on her “grandma” comment. In a humorous tone, Simone Biles decided to apologize to Aly Raisman in the press conference after the U.S. Gymnastics Trials for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Biles said, “I definitely have to apologize to Aly for calling her grandma. Because I feel like I’m way older now than me calling her grandma when we were younger.” 

Simone Biles humorously reflects on aging and recovery as she grabs the ticket to Paris

When Raisman captained the U.S. women’s gymnastics team in the 2016 Olympics, she was 22 and Biles was 19. Simone Biles, now 27, will be leading the women’s team to Paris. To connect the dots of the ‘grandma’ comment, one interviewer asked Biles about how she is feeling currently being 27.

Answering the question, Biles failed to hold back her laughter. Controlling her laughter, she further added, “And you know what it’s 11. So it’s definitely past my bedtime. So I know Aly would be cracking up right now”. However, she also added how with time she hasn’t only aged but has grown up to be more mature. 

Reflecting on how her body has evolved with time, and how her body asks for a lot more time to recover, Biles said, “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.” She remembered how she was “a little hamster on a wheel”. But now she is a lot more cautious. Moreover, fans would now just want Simone to be in her best mental and physical state because a whole nation is waiting to watch her grab the gold as she heads for Paris.