‘SOMETHING ALWAYS HURTS’

Simone Biles Dismisses Injury Speculation After Uncharacteristic Errors: ‘I’m Just Old’

The gymnastics superstar did more than enough to automatically qualify for the Olympic Games on Sunday, but made some very rare mistakes.

Something extraordinary happened at the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials on Sunday night—Simone Biles made a mistake. The gymnastics superstar did more than enough to automatically qualify for the Tokyo Games alongside second-place finisher Suni Lee, but, according to NBC Olympics, Biles fell off the balance beam and had a blip on the uneven bars. The uncharacteristic errors sparked fears that Biles may be nursing an injury less than four weeks out from the Games, but she said that’s not the case. “I’m just old,” she explained. “I’m always in pain. Something always hurts.” Lee outscored Biles on day two of the trials on Sunday—making it the first time Biles has been outdone on a single day of all-around competition in eight years—but she scored first overall.