It’s the question fans can’t stop asking: Will Simone Biles return to the Olympics in 2028?
Biles won four more medals at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, boosting her total Olympic medal count to 11, good enough to make her the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history.
So, will she try to add to her legacy by hitting the mat again when the Summer Games take place in Los Angeles in 2028? What circumstances would need to be in place for that to happen?
“Life and death,” she told Sports Illustrated in its interview for naming her its Sportsperson of the Year. “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.”
Biles, who is married to Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens, thinks enough may be enough in this instance.
“If you go back, you’ll be greedy. Those are the consequences,” she said. “But that’s also your decision to decide. What sacrifices would be made if I go back now? 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?”
Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year feature on Biles points out that she doesn’t know the answer to that question at this time.
Biles may be the most successful gymnast in history, but she can’t comprehend all that she has accomplished.
“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. 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.”
What Simone Biles told Hoda Kotb about possibly retiring
After her Olympic run last August, Biles spoke live on TODAY with Hoda Kotb about her future in the sport and if she’s considering competing at the next Summer Games.
“You know, you never say never. The next Olympics is on home turf. So you just never know,” she said. “I’m just going to relax and see where life takes me.”
Biles said as much after taking home a gold in the women’s vault individual final on Aug. 3.
“Never say never,” Biles said at a press conference. “Next Olympics are at home. So you just never know. I am getting really old.”
Though just about everyone who watched the Olympics is eager to see what awaits Biles down the line, the gymnast has also spoken out to share her thoughts on asking.
Biles said on X Aug. 4, “You guys really gotta stop asking athletes what’s next after they win a medal at the Olympics.”
you guys really gotta stop asking athletes what’s next after they win a medal at the Olympics
— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) August 4, 2024
“Let us soak up the moment we’ve worked our whole lives for,” she added.
Between the 2016 Rio de Janeiro, 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Games, Biles has accumulated 11 Olympic medals, seven of which are gold.
In Paris, Biles had a record-breaking run, becoming the most decorated Olympic American gymnast of all time after Team USA won gold in the team final July 30. The star athlete won gold again in the all-around final Aug. 1 and vault final Aug. 3.
All eyes were on the gymnast after she pulled out of the Tokyo Olympics that were held in 2021, citing “the twisties,” a mental phenomenon that affects a gymnast’s ability to perceive where he or she is in the air.
Since Biles’ unexpected withdrawal from events at those Summer Games, she’s been open about her mental health struggles, and credits therapy with her comeback.
“To do something that I’ve done forever and just not be able to do it because of everything I’ve gone through is really crazy because I love this sport so much,” Biles told TODAY in October 2021.
“It’s hard. I’m sorry. And I don’t think people understand the magnitude of what I go through, but for so many years to go through everything that I’ve gone through having a front, I’m proud of myself.”
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
