Simone Biles addresses whether she will return at LA Olympics 2028
Olympic gold medallist Simone Biles has shared her thoughts on a return to the Olympics in 2028.
The 27-year-old American gymnast took a two-year break from athletics to focus on her mental health before winning gold in Paris last year.
After withdrawing from the competition in 2020, Biles said therapy played a major role in building her confidence in preparation for her win. She has since made history to become the most decorated American gymnast in history.
However, Biles has hinted she may not return for the Olympics in 2028, which will take place in LA. The sportswoman said it would have to be about “life and death” for her to come back to the competition.
“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?” she told Sports Illustrated.
“I’m at a point in my career where I’m humble enough to know when to be done.
“If you go back, you’ll be greedy. Those are the consequences. But that’s also your decision to decide.”
The sports star married her partner and American football player Jonathan Owens in April 2023, and said her role as wife could impact the decision as her priorities shift.
“What sacrifices would be made if I go back now?” she continued. “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?”
Although she still has a couple of years to decide, Biles admitted she doesn’t know the answer, as she confessed the full impact of her legacy has not hit her yet.
“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 realised just yet.
“I don’t think I’ll realise ’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.”
After her hiatus, the gymnast said she struggled with the pressure of her comeback.
“The hardest part of coming back was learning to trust myself again,” she said. “You kind of have to go up there and tell yourself, I’m a boss ass b***.”
