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"I don't have to be 16 anymore" - Simone Biles' Olympics run inspires Olivia Dunne's teammate Konnor Mcclain to compete in quadrennial event
Konnor McClain is full of praise for gymnastics sensation Simone Biles right now. The 20-year-old gymnast had overcome a career threatening injury last year to register a strong comeback.
In a recent interview with Olympics.com, the LSU gymnast talked about almost everything, from her injury that ended her bid for the Paris Olympics, to how Biles inspired her for a strong comeback.
Citing the example of gymnasts like Biles, McClain said in the interview,
“Seeing that you can be older and doing gymnastics now, the times have changed. That definitely motivates me to keep going because I don't have to be 16 anymore to make the Olympic team. I can be 27, I can be 25, I can be 23. So it's definitely motivating to know that.”
McClain was referring to Simone Biles' age when she participated at the Paris Olympics. Biles became the oldest female gymnast to represent the USA at the Olympics since Marie Margaret Hoesly, who was 35 years old at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. In another conversation with Olympics.com, McClain mentioned how she took lessons from Biles,
"After seeing putting herself [Biles] first before gymnastics, I feel like we can do the same thing now, like how I did in floor. I didn't do last pass because I didn't have to be perfect at that meet."
Konnor McClain is hopeful of making a strong comeback in time for the Los Angeles Olympics. The quadrennial event would be held in mid July of 2028.
Simone Biles reveals her motivation behind pursuing gymnastics
![Simone Biles talks about what motivated her to pursue gymnastics [Image Source : Getty]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/04/c297a-17435567402599-1920.jpg)
Simone Biles is one of the most decorated female gymnasts of all time. The 27-year-old gymnast opened up about her motivation behind pursuing gymnastics in a conversation with Fox 26 Houston's Will Kunkel.
“My 'Why' was to just really have fun and brace it and see how far I could go and hopefully one day get a college scholarship. And that evolved over the years as I started progressing through the sports pretty quickly. Like, 'oh maybe one day, I can go the Olympics' and then I was training with some girls I had gone to World and been to an Olympic team. So, that's kind of why it changed but other than that, it was to embrace who I am, to be strong, to be beautiful and bold,” Biles told Kunkel.
In another interview with Vanity Fair, Biles talked about taking a break during the Tokyo Olympics because of her mental health. In her words,
"Even though I was empowering so many people and speaking out about mental health, every time I talked about my experience in Tokyo—because it obviously didn’t go the way that I had planned—it stung a little bit. But all in all, it was the best decision."
Since the quadrennial event at the Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles has been an unequivocal advocate of raising awareness about mental health issues. Notably, she has received strong support from legends like Michael Phelps.
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