Simone Biles corrects club sign that miscalculated her Olympic medal count

The all-around world champion won three gold medals and one silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics

Kaleigh Werner
New York
Monday 02 September 2024 22:41 BST
Comments
Simone Biles calls 2024 Paris Olympics campaign a ‘redemption tour’ for USA

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Simone Biles would like everyone to know that she’s won 11 Olympic medals, seven of which have been gold.

After being greeted with a glow-up sign that read, “11 X gold medalist,” while out at a club over Labor Day weekend, the Olympic gymnast took to her Instagram story to make an important correction.

Biles shared a picture of the “sweet” sign and wrote: “*7x gold medalist. *11x Olympic medalist.”

During her night out, soaking in the last few summer moments, the all-around world champion title holder was presented with the bright sign, sparklers, and bottle service. Though the message miscalculated her number of gold medals earned, Biles was touched by the gesture. “They were close. Still super sweet,” she wrote on her Instagram story.

Since her outstanding comeback in the 2024 Paris Olympics, taking home three gold medals and one silver, she’s made sure to celebrate her achievements and treat herself. While spending time in the City of Light before the closing ceremony on August 11, Biles went on a shopping spree at Hermès.

On August 9, the competitor, often regarded as “the greatest athlete of all time,” took to her Instagram story, sharing a sneak peek at her purchases. She snapped a picture of Hermès’ wall of Birkin bags and an image of the orange box that packaged her purse, which could cost anywhere from $17,000 to six figures.

Biles returned from Paris with her new Birkin and a fresh title: “The most decorated US Olympic gymnast.” The gold medalist surpassed Shannon Miller in her medal count after this year’s Olympic Summer Games, winning gold in the women’s all-around team final, gold in the vault final, gold in the women’s all-around individual final, and silver in the floor final.

During the Tokyo 2021 games, Biles was forced to bow out of the competition due to an unfortunate case of “the Twisties,” a common mental condition amongst gymnasts when their mind-body connection goes array.

Simone Biles corrects sign that miscalculated her number of gold medals
Simone Biles corrects sign that miscalculated her number of gold medals (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The Team USA captain reflected on her decision to pull out of the Tokyo competition in her new Netflix docuseries, Simone Biles: Rising, directed by Katie Walsh. “I knew from that one moment. To me it felt silent. I felt like I was in jail in my own brain and body,” the athlete explained, referencing the vault she performed incorrectly in Tokyo.

“After Tokyo, I had not one ounce of belief in myself,” she added, noting how she was labeled a “quitter” by many for months afterward.

Heading into this year’s games, Biles prioritized her mental health by limiting her social media use.

Speaking to Hoda Kotb before the 2024 Olympics, she revealed her plan to delete X, formerly known as Twitter, off her phone.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in