Then Paris Olympics 2024 success, Simone Biles She might want to end her Olympic gymnastics career while she's still at the top.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated — where she was named 2024 Female Athlete of the Year — published on Thursday, January 2. Biles, 27, said returning for the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics would be “life and death” after Winning four medals in Paris This past summer.
“Because I've accomplished so much, there's almost nothing left to do but be smug and try again and for what?” She explained. “I'm at a point in my career where I'm humble enough to know when to do it.”
Although Biles has not confirmed a firm decision, she told the outlet that she would feel “greedy” if she returned to the Games. “Those are the consequences. But this is also your decision,” she said. “What sacrifices will I make if I go back now? When you're younger, it's like prom or college. Now it's like I'm starting a family and being away from my husband (Jonathan Owens). What's really worth it?”
Tom Weller/VOIGT/GettyImages After earning her 10th Olympic medal, Simone Biles heard an onslaught of, “What's next?” Questions – but she's not ready to answer anything yet. “You guys should stop asking athletes what's next after winning a medal at the Olympics,” Biles, 27, wrote on X on Sunday, August 4.
Biles earned a total of four medals at the Paris Summer Olympics, which ran from July 2024 to August 2024, bringing her total to 11. (The 2024 Olympics also marked a major comeback for Biles after she was forced to sit out several medals.) . Events at the Tokyo Olympics.)
In addition to helping the USA women's gymnastics team win gold in the women's team competition, Biles won two individual golds in the women's all-around. She also won a silver medal in the women's floor exercise, placing second after Brazil Rebecca Andrade.
Her victories in Paris earned her the honor of the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history, taking the title from former Olympian Shannon Miller.
Biles never expected to become the face of USA Gymnastics, and she told the newspaper she wasn't ready to grapple with the legacy she would leave behind. “I don’t think the reality has set in as to what exactly I did in this sport,” she noted. “I can see it, hear it from people, see a glimpse of it, but I don't think I've realized the full extent of it yet. I don't think I'll realize it until I retire and look back in a few years and say, 'Damn, that was good.' Because I can see that “But I do it every day, so for me, it's normal.”
Shortly after the Paris Games ended, Biles made the exclusive statement Us Weekly What would you change about the Olympic Village in 2028. “Sleep on this cardboard bed,” she shared in September. “We're the best athletes in the world, so I feel like we deserve the best for just a week or two. You know, we shouldn't stress about sleeping on a cardboard bed.
Simone Biles has one thing to say to everyone wondering if she'll compete in the 2028 Olympics: “Can't I live?” “Everyone wants to know that question,” the 11-time Olympic medalist said as she found herself in the hot seat once again on the Wednesday, September 4, episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Bills, (…)
She later He hinted at the possibility of retirement In its second half The rise of Simone Biles docuseries on Netflix, which will premiere in October 2024. “At this moment in my career, I feel like if I had to process it, it would be bittersweet,” she said of hanging up her dress after Paris. “I mean we've been craving this for a while and now it's here. It's gone.”
Noting that she felt “very relieved” after competing in Paris, she added: “Now, I say: Oh my God.” Like, what's going on in life right now?
