Simone Biles’ appearance at the Olympic closing ceremonies alarmed fans as she took the Stade de France stage with a bulky medical boot alongside Karen Bass and Tom Cruise
As the Paris Olympics officially came to a close on Sunday, the event’s iconic five-ringed flag came down from the City of Light skyline and into the hands of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, set to host the next games in 2028.
Bass was joined on stage during the closing ceremonies by Simone Biles, earning the honor after another sterling performance for Team USA at the Olympic Games, but fans became alarmed once the gymnast’s bulky, orthopedic walking boot came into view.”Simone Biles walking in a boot!?! What is this?,” one commenter wrote on X. Another added: “And Simone Biles is still in that boot. Hopefully the injury isn’t career threatening.”
Despite the collective concern, the seven-time gold medalist revealed that her boot was purely preventative days earlier. “The calf is good – it’s just precautionary, making sure. Just a little bit of soreness. I feel like elite athletes are pretty tough so – through pain or pleasure – we’re ready for whatever… but everything is good.”
The 27-year-old star Biles continued to defy her age, becoming the oldest all-around champion since Maria Gorokhovskaya in 1952 and the first winner older than 20 since 1968. She also went on to win golds in the vault and team competition, capping off her summer in Paris with a silver in the floor exercise.
“I can’t be more proud of how I’ve done. I’m 27 years old walking away from this games with four medals to add to my collection. Not mad about it. I’ve accomplished way (more than I thought I would). A couple of years ago, I didn’t think I’d be back here.”
Selected for her unparalleled achievements on the Olympic stage — Biles is the only American gymnast with seven golds — she also has a connection to Los Angeles, initially committing to UCLA to compete in collegiate gymnastics before electing to pursue a professional career instead. Biles later handed the flag off to a more intrinsic Tinseltown icon in Tom Cruise as part of an elaborate ending to the Olympic Games.
Cruise, best known for his roles in the Mission Impossible and Top Gun series’, descended down from the Stade de France rooftop. After retrieving the flag from Biles, the action star rode off in his motorcycle, prompting a pre-recorded video sequence that displayed Cruise riding through the streets of Paris, boarding a plane, and ultimately arriving in Los Angeles, where the iconic Hollywood sign had been modified to incorporate the Olympic rings.
Los Angeles will host the Summer Games for the third time in 2028, joining Paris and London as the only cities to earn that honor. The southern California games will reintroduce, or in some cases offer for the first time, classic North American sports such as baseball, softball, flag football and lacrosse. Squash and cricket will also feature in the 2028 competition.
