Jason Kelce admits Simone Biles proved him wrong at the Olympic Games this summer after writing off the USA gymnast due to 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 around the 27-year-old walked away with three gold medals and one silver; a return which cemented her as the most decorated American gymnast of all time with a total of 41 medals from the Olympics (11) and World Championship (30).
However, not everyone was convinced she would succeed in the French capital.
On the first episode of a new series of his and brother Travis’ New Heights podcast, Jason – who was out in Paris this summer with wife Kylie – revealed he had doubts over Biles’ chances at the Olympics given she is above the age typically considered a gymnasts’ peak.
Jason Kelce admits Simone Biles proved him wrong at the Olympic Games this summer after writing off the USA gymnast due to her age
‘We watched every girl go and do the floor routine and Simone Biles was the last person,’ Kelce recalled. ‘And I’m like, “You know, she’s getting older, we’ll see how she looks.”‘
Travis expressed disbelief that his brother thought Biles would fail in Paris, but Jason continued: ‘I did think that! If you go look at the age of gymnasts, they’re usually not in their mid 20s to late 20s. They’re usually young. They usually don’t age and sustain well later.’
His Kansas City Chiefs-star sibling then pointed out that Simone can be considered an ‘anomaly’ in this sense – something he now fully agrees with.
‘You would be right, she is the anomaly because she jumped higher than everybody and it wasn’t even close,’ Jason conceded.
While the former Philadelphia Eagles center doubted her, both Kelce brothers were chuffed for Biles after she banished the demons of Tokyo and captured Olympic glory once again.
Biles became the most decorated American gymnast of all time after sweeping up three gold medals and a silver in Paris
Jason, who was at the Games with wife Kylie (left), says he wrote Simone off heading into it
His brother Travis commended Biles for making America ‘so proud’ at this summer’s Olympics
Travis added: ‘It’s such a feel-good story knowing the past and everything that she’s had to go through, just to feel confident in getting back up there and medaling. It’s the best man, I’m so happy for her.
‘And… America’s so proud of her man.’
With the dust now settled on the Olympics, Biles recently admitted she was looking forward to wrapping up the gymnastics competition and felt relieved after her last event.
The seven-time gold medalist opened up on the nerves she felt when stepping onto the mat, which proved a stressful experience at times.
‘Coming out, it’s just like a breath of fresh air. I feel so much better now that it’s over because you know how stressful it is,’ she told Olympics.com.
‘So I just couldn’t wait to be done,’ Biles continued. ‘But I was still trying to cherish every single moment along the way.’
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