Simone Biles traded gymnastics for figure skating this week, popping up unexpectedly at the Winter Olympics.
The 28-year-old Olympic icon attended the men’s figure skating competition at the Milano Ice Skating Arena on Friday, Feb. 13, cheering on Team USA athletes including Ilia Malinin and Maxim Naumov. During a break in the free skate event, the crowd was caught off guard when Biles appeared on the jumbotron and chatted briefly with the event hosts about the competition.
She was later seen near the leader’s chair, where Georgian skater Nika Egadze was seated.
Dressed in an all-white outfit with her hair worn down and natural glam, Biles told the audience she was “just really excited to watch” the skaters perform. While she admitted she can skate, she joked that she definitely can’t pull off the kind of moves the athletes were landing that night.
It wasn’t confirmed whether her husband, NFL player Jonathan Owens, was at the arena with her, though he did travel to Italy alongside the gymnastics superstar. Earlier that day, Biles shared a cozy Instagram Stories snap of the two en route, captioning it, “Milan we’re coming for you.” A few hours later, she updated fans that they were temporarily “stuck in Germany” during the journey, passing the time with food and drinks.
Though her appearance at the Winter Games surprised some fans, Biles recently revealed she’s been thinking about hitting the ice herself. In November, she said she wants to take skating lessons since a rink is just minutes from her home. She’s also added horseback riding to her fitness routine, alongside her usual Pilates sessions.
The Milan Cortina Olympics and Paralympics kicked off Feb. 6 and are airing on NBC and Peacock.
