Gymnastics Legend Mary Lou Retton Makes Opinion of Simone Biles Extremely Clear

Gymnast Simone Biles enters the 2024 Paris Olympics as the heavy favorite to win the all-around gold medal. Only five other American women have earned that title, and Biles can become the first U.S. gymnast do it twice. She won the all-around gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Cheering Biles on as she bids for Olympic history is gymnastics legend Mary Lou Retton. At age 16, Retton became the first American to win the women’s all-around gold medal in 1984. She earned a perfect 10 score on both her vault and floor exercise, which catapulted her to fame.

Retton won five medals at the 1984 Olympics, becoming the most decorated athlete at the Games in Los Angeles. Forty years later, the West Virginia native is thrilled to watch Biles continue to break boundaries in gymnastics, and she sent a clear message on her unparalleled talent.

“Simone Biles is a super freak,” Retton told People, which she meant in the best way possible. “You just cannot teach the talent that child has.”

While some young fans watching gymnastics may not be familiar with Retton, “Google Simone Biles,” she tells them. “I was (like that).”

Retton trained under Bela and Marta Karolyi, the now disgraced former Team USA coaches Biles used to train with at the Karolyi Ranch.

Due to Retton’s immense success, she was named Sports Illustrated’s “Sportsman of the Year” and became the first female athlete to appear on a Wheaties cereal box. She retired from gymnastics in 1986.

Retton called training with Bela tough. While she was 4-foot-9 and 92 pounds during the Olympics, “They called me the fat one,” she recalled. “I was starved. But I changed that look.”

Retton, 56, was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1997. She has enjoyed watching Biles, who has won 37 world championship and Olympic medals, take the sport to another level.

“Simone Biles. She is so insanely good,” Retton added.