Simone Biles Carries the Olympic Flag During Paris Closing Ceremony as Olympics Transition to Los Angeles

The gold medalist then passed the flag on to Tom Cruise, who drove it away on a motorcycle

Julie Mazziotta is the Senior Sports Editor at PEOPLE, covering everything from the NFL to tennis to Simone Biles and Tom Brady. She was previously an Associate Editor for the Health vertical for six years, and prior to joining PEOPLE worked at Health Magazine. When not covering professional athletes, Julie spends her time as a (very) amateur athlete, training for marathons, long bike trips and hikes

US' gymnasts Simone Biles holds the Olympic flag next to Los Angeles' Mayor Karen Bass during the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Stade de France, in Saint-Denis, in the outskirts of Paris, on August 11, 2024.

Simone Biles with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Photo: 

Simone Biles is leaving the 2024 Paris Olympics on a high note.

The 27-year-old gymnast, who is taking home three gold medals and one silver, had the honor of carrying the Olympic flag during the Sunday, Aug. 11 closing ceremony.

Biles walked out onto the stage at the Stade de France and joined Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass, as musician H.E.R. performed the American national anthem. The song led into the evening’s highly-anticipated moment when Tom Cruise soared into the crowd.

Biles was also noticeably wearing her precautionary boot on her foot after revealing to NBC on Aug. 5 that she was dealing with “a little bit of soreness” in her calf.

Simone Biles of Team United States carries the IOC Flag during the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 11, 2024 in Paris, France.

Simone Biles. 

Biles was part of the Paris Olympics’ transition into the 2028 Los Angeles Games. After she handed the flag off to Cruise, he strapped to the back of a motorcycle and rode off through the crowds of athletes into the night — and a pre-recorded video.

In the video, Cruise sped down the streets of Paris on the motorcycle, passing landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, and cruised onto a waiting airplane.

“I’m on my way,” he said, as he put on skydiving gear to the tune of “By the Way” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The flag then goes to Olympic cyclist Kate Courtney, former track star Michael Johnson and skateboarder Jagger Eaton. Finally, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Billie Eilish put on a performance on Venice Beach to wrap up the transition to L.A.