Sophie Scheder Taking Inspiration From Simone Biles Surfaces as 27-Year-Old German Gymnast Hangs Leotard for Good

One of Germany’s top gymnasts, Sophie Scheder, hung her leotard at the age of 27. On the same mats where Simone Biles won all-around in Rio, Scheder earned her first bronze medal in uneven bars. Since turning senior in 2013, the German gymnastics star has dominated the uneven bars at several major international competitions, including the World Championships, American Cup, European Championships, and World University Games.

As she ended her career having climbed all the gymnastics levels most gymnasts dream of, a video of 7-time Olympic medalist Simone Biles serving as her motivation went viral.

Simone Biles’s powerful words resonate with foreign gymnastics star

Aside from her revolutionary gymnastics career, Biles is a complete badass who once remarked, “Practice creates confidence. Confidence empowers you.” Now, just as Sophie Scheder announced her retirement on social media, a video of her performing the balance beam shared on TikTok last year with Biles’ confidence quote as a caption garnered a lot of attention.

Scheder had long been suffering from injuries, the most serious of which have been knee issues. She had knee surgery in Vail, Colorado in April 2017 after suffering from constant severe knee pain. Despite being named to Stuttgart’s 2019 World Championships team, she withdrew due to the same injury. The German Gymnastics Federation released a statement on Wednesday announcing the end of her active career.

In her statement, she emphasized, “I’ve often fought my way back after setbacks, but now I’ve realized that it’s better to listen to my body.” Sophie Scheder also indicated, “I will certainly stay involved in gymnastics, but only time will tell how and in what form.” As one champion bids adieu to the competition stage this season, another Olympic year begins, with Simone Biles continuing to mesmerize the crowd with her skills.

2016 or 2024: The US gymnastics supremacy remains unmatched

Simone Biles swept the podium in Rio in 2016, climbing the podium frequently during the 10-day artistic gymnastics competition. She made artistic gymnastics history with four gold medals and a bronze. In addition to five named moves, Biles earned respect over her decade-long career, whether for her mental health activism, sticking up for other athletes, or being the most decorated US athlete with the most international medals.

In an April 12 tweet, USA Gymnastics disclosed the entire lineup for the May 17-18 competition. Biles will be competing in her debut Olympic-year competition at the U.S. Classic in Hartford, Connecticut. Biles, the 2016 Olympic all-around champion will be joined by Sunisa Lee, the 2021 Olympic all-around champion. It’s expected that triple champions competing in the same national event will create history alongside 2012 Olympic all-around winner Gabby Douglas.