“It’s hard being young and having that long of a relationship and then ending it,” the Olympian told Vogue
In Vogue’s new cover story exploring her resilience and the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on the Olympics, the 23-year-old revealed she and her boyfriend of three years called it quits in early March.
“It’s hard being young and having that long of a relationship and then ending it,” the four-time gold medalist told Vogue of splitting from Ervin, 26. “But it was for the best.”
Biles’ confirmation of their breakup comes months after fans noticed he did not wish Biles a happy birthday in March.
Biles marked her special day on Instagram, writing, “okuuuuurrr ready for my jordan year! 23🎉.”
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Simone Biles
Simone Biles. Lars Baron/Getty
Biles and Ervin Jr. had celebrated the holidays together, including Thanksgiving in Belize and New Year’s Eve.
Biles took her love with Ervin public in 2017, writing, “always smiling with you,” in a caption for a photo on Instagram with the former athlete. Since making their relationship Instagram official, the pair continued to rave about one another with a constant feed of PDA posts. Biles previously declared Ervin the “man of her dreams,” and wrote in January, “I’m excited to love you for a very long time.”
Prior to the split, Biles had been busy prepping for the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which were rescheduled for July 23, 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Biles resumed training in mid-May after the World Champions Centre reopened, according to Vogue.
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In early March, Biles spoke with PEOPLE about speculation that she’d perform a challenging new vault stunt at the Tokyo Games.
“That would be no, unfortunately,” she said. “[The] risk vs. reward factor.”
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In February, the athlete tweeted out a video of herself performing a Yurchenko double pike — a move that has never been performed by a female gymnast in a competition, according to The Washington Post. It’s named after Natalia Yurchenko, a Russian gymnast who performed the stunt in the 1980s.
“In gymnastics, almost everything has been done so when you push boundaries there is a risk factor — risk vs. reward,” she told PEOPLE of her decision. “Gymnastics can be a dangerous sport so you have to be smart. I’m glad I have great coaches that guide me, help me be creative and push those boundaries.”