Jason Kelce admits Simone Biles proved him wrong at this summer’s Olympics after ruling out the American gymnast because of her age.
Biles enjoyed a phenomenal return to the Olympic stage in Paris three years after withdrawing from several events in Tokyo to focus on her mental health.
This time, the 27-year-old took home three gold medals and one silver, a comeback that cemented her as the most decorated American gymnast of all time with a total of 41 medals at the Olympic Games (11) and the World Championships (30).
However, not everyone was convinced that he would succeed in the French capital.
In the first episode of a new series about him and his brother Travis New Heights PodcastJason, who was in Paris this summer with his wife Kylie, revealed he had doubts about Biles’ chances at the Olympics given that she is above the age normally considered a gymnast’s peak.
Jason Kelce admits Simone Biles proved him wrong at this summer’s Olympics after ruling out the American gymnast because of her age
“We watched all the girls do the floor routine and Simone Biles was last,” Kelce recalled. “And I was like, ‘She’s getting bigger, we’ll see what she looks like.'”
Travis expressed disbelief that his brother thought Biles would fail in Paris, but Jason continued, “I did! If you look at the age of gymnasts, they’re usually not in their 20s or 30s. They’re usually young. They usually don’t age and they hold up well over time.”
Her brother, a Kansas City Chiefs star, later noted that Simone could be considered an “anomaly” in this regard, something she now fully agrees with.
“You’d be right, she is the anomaly because she jumped higher than everyone and it wasn’t even close,” Jason admitted.
Though the former Philadelphia Eagles center doubted her, both Kelce brothers were proud of Biles after she banished Tokyo demons and captured Olympic glory once again.
Biles became the most decorated American gymnast of all time after winning three gold medals and one silver in Paris.
Jason, who was at the Games with his wife Kylie (left), says he ruled Simone out before taking part.
Her brother Travis praised Biles for making the United States “so proud” at this summer’s Olympics.
Travis added: “It’s a very heartwarming story to know the past and everything she had to go through, just to feel confident about going back there and winning a medal. She’s the best, I’m so happy for her.”
“And… America is very proud of her man.”
Now that the dust has settled on the Olympics, Biles recently admitted she was looking forward to finishing up gymnastics competition and felt relieved after her final event.
The seven-time gold medalist spoke of the nerves she felt when stepping onto the mat, which turned out to be a stressful experience at times.
“Coming out is like a breath of fresh air. I feel a lot better now that it’s over because you know how stressful it is,” she said. Olympic Games.com.
“I couldn’t wait for it to be over,” Biles continued. “But I still tried to remember every moment of the process.”