Simone Biles and her new boyfriend Stacey Ervin – who is also an elite gymnast – are enjoying their time together, but the 20-year-old Olympic gold medalist says their training comes first.
Biles told People that she and Ervin recently had an honest conversation about how much time they'll be able to spend together once her full-time training resumes in November.
"He’s an elite athlete and he’s traveled and stuff, so he understands it," she told the outlet. "We already know in each other’s lives we don’t come first, and that’s okay with the both of us. So we do what we need to do, and then when we come together it’s fine."
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Biles and Ervin met three years ago during the P&G Championships, but they were just friends until recently. While Biles was out of town performing on Dancing With the Stars, Ervin was hired as a coach at her gym. When she returned, their friendship blossomed into a romantic relationship.
Biles shared with People that she and Ervin push one another out of their comfort zones. For their first date, "he took me to a sushi place. He knows I don’t like sushi and he forced me! It was out of my comfort zone, which I liked." Biles later pushed Ervin out of his own comfort zone when she straightened his hair for an adorably hilarious video.
The gymnast is no stranger to trying new and adventurous things, from sushi to diving with sharks. She got to do the latter over winter break and her only regret is that there was a cage. "If I could do anything right now I would probably free swim with the sharks," Biles told People. "I had to be in a cage because my mom said ‘No,’ so I’d love to do that."
Biles and Ervin are adorable together and they seem like a match made in heaven, but Biles is setting an important example for her fans by not sacrificing her career for a boyfriend. Biles and Ervin are both still young and it shows an impressive level of maturity that they're having honest conversations about how their relationship will fit into their careers.