Aly Raisman ‘in Awe’ Watching Simone Biles’ Gymnastics Comeback: ‘So Impressed and So Proud’

“It just seems like she gets better and better,” the two-time Olympian tells PEOPLE

Simone Biles’ emphatic return to gymnastics this past year has left her former Olympic teammate, Aly Raisman, in “awe.”

“It’s so exciting to watch Simone,” Raisman, 29, tells PEOPLE. “I’m so impressed and so proud of her. It’s just really, truly amazing. I’m really in awe that she is still competing.”

Biles, 26, returned to the mat last summer after stepping away in 2021 due to “the twisties” and has since recaptured the U.S. national championship for the eighth time in her career.

Despite two years away from competitive gymnastics, it didn’t appear Biles had any cobwebs to shake off. A month after winning the national championship, the four-time Olympic gold medalist also won her sixth all-around title at the world championships, officially becoming the most decorated gymnast in history.

Last month, Biles was named the “AP Female Athlete of the Year” for the third time.

Raisman recently opened up about her admiration for Biles during an interview with PEOPLE about her new job becoming a broadcast analyst for ESPN, noting that the athlete ”just seems like she gets better and better.“

The pair, meanwhile, won gold together in the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics all-around competition during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The former teammates have remained close, with Raisman making the international trip to celebrate Biles and husband Jonathan Owens’ wedding last year. Biles and Owens, a defensive back for the Green Bay Packers, married in April, another milestone that had Raisman celebrating.
“I just really admire and am impressed with how she just does such a good job of having balance in her life,” Raisman says.

She adds, “I love watching her not only succeed in gymnastics — she works so hard and she’s doing so well — but also in her personal life. She just seems so happy and she’s having so much fun, and that just makes me really happy to see.”