Simone Biles Revealed Her Thoughts About Competing At The 2028 Olympics In Los Angeles, And I Have A Feeling This Is Gonna Divide People

ellen durney

Fri, 3 Jan 2025, 9:51 am·3-min read

As we reflect on 2024, there’s absolutely no debating that Simone Biles was one of the stars of the year.

Person in floral dress on a red carpet at a Netflix event, smiling with long hair styled down — Robin L Marshall / Getty Images

At the Paris 2024 Olympics, she did what she did best and took home one silver and three gold medals — solidifying her status as the most decorated gymnast of all time.

Person smiling, holding multiple medals around neck. Wearing athletic jacket — Naomi Baker / Getty Images

And now that she’s forged her place in the history books in more ways than one, Simone just revealed that Paris may have marked the end of her phenomenal Olympic career.

Gymnast wearing a bejeweled leotard performs at an event, exuding focus and confidence — Jean Catuffe / Getty Images

Speaking to Sports Illustrated after being unveiled as the outlet’s Sportsperson of the Year, the 27-year-old superstar opened up about taking a well-earned break from gymnastics following her triumphant summer — and confessed she currently has no plans to return for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028.

Gymnast wearing a sparkling leotard, holding a U.S. flag, smiling, with arm raised, after a performance at a sporting event — “Life and death,” she said when asked what it would take for her to come back for the next Olympics in a few years’ time.

Tom Weller / Getty Images

Explaining her stance, Simone said: “Because I’ve accomplished so much, there’s almost nothing left to do, rather than to just be snobby and to try again and for what? I’m at a point in my career where I’m humble enough to know when to be done.”

Gymnast in a star and stripe leotard smiling while holding a water bottle, likely at a gymnastics event — “If you go back, you’ll be greedy. Those are the consequences,” she continued, perhaps preempting backlash that could ensue if she were to return for one more go. “But that’s also your decision to decide.”

Tim Clayton - Corbis / Corbis via Getty Images

Aside from her sporting achievements, Simone has hit some major milestones in her personal life, too — namely, getting married to NFL player Jonathan Owens in 2023. In light of this, she considered how a return to the Olympics might impact the life she’s cultivating away from the world of sports.

Football player in uniform kisses woman wearing a team jacket on the field, stadium background — “What sacrifices would be made if I go back now?” she said. “When you’re younger, it’s like, prom, college. Now it’s like, starting a family, being away from my husband. What’s really worth it?”

Michael Reaves / Getty Images

As you may know, Simone overcame a lot of mental obstacles to return to the Olympics in Paris. At the 2020 Olympic Games in Toyko, she sent shock waves across the sport when she made the unexpected decision to withdraw from the competition due to mental health concerns.

Gymnast holding a hand to her forehead in a stadium, wearing a gradient leotard with a sparkling design — The Washington Post / The Washington Post via Getty Images

And so, despite the greatness of her victorious comeback in 2024, Simone told Sports Illustrated that she isn’t quite ready to contemplate her legacy as a sporting icon.

“I don’t think the reality has set in of what I’ve exactly done in the sport,” she said. “I can see it, and I hear it from people, and I see a glimpse of it, but the full magnitude I don’t think I’ve realized just yet.”She added: “I don’t think I’ll realize ’til maybe I retire and look back in a couple years like, Damn, she was good. Because I can see that, but I do it every day. So for me, it’s normal.”

Tom Weller / Getty Images

No GOAT debate necessary. Do we think she’ll change her mind about taking part in one last Olympic Games? Especially with it taking place in the States! Only time will tell…

You can read Simone’s full Sports Illustrated profile here.