Simone Biles hints she won’t compete at LA 2028 Olympics as she’s crowned SI’s 2024 Sportsperson of the Year
Simone Biles appeared to dash hopes that she could make a return to the Olympic stage on home soil when Los Angeles hosts the Summer Games in 2028.
Following a historic year that saw the gymnastic icon cement herself as the greatest of all time with three more gold medals in Paris to add to her Olympic haul, Biles was named Sport’s Illustrated’s 2024 Sportsperson of the Year Thursday.
The 27-year-old became the most-decorated US gymnast in Olympic history after winning three golds – in the team event, all-around and vault – and took silver in the floor exercise after losing to her Brazilian rival Rebeca Andrade by the slimmest of margins this summer.
Her triumphant return to the Olympic stage took her total medal haul to 11 medals at the games – seven of which are gold – and her overall career tally to 43 thanks to her stunning 23 World Championships.
Biles’ stunning performance in Paris, which saw her bounce back from the trauma of the ‘Twisties’ in Tokyo, tied her Věra Čáslavská as the second-most decorated female Olympic gymnast.
However, after being announced as the recipient of SI’s honor Thursday, the American athlete cast doubt on whether she would give herself a shot at surpassing Čáslavská or even besting Larisa Latynina (18).
Simone Biles was crowned Sports Illustrated’s 2024 Sportsperson of the Year
With seven Olympic gold medals and over two dozen world championships, Biles is now the most decorated gymnast in the world
Despite 2028 marking the first time her home nation of the United States will host the Olympics since 1996 in Atlanta, Biles admitted there may not be enough incentive for her to launch another bid for gold.
Biles suggested that after reaching the mountain top following three Olympics, she had nothing left to prove as she hinted she knew to quit while she was ahead.
‘Life and death,’ she told SI when asked what it would have to signify for her to return to the Olympic stage in LA.
‘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.
‘If you go back, you’ll be greedy. Those are the consequences. 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?’
That was a question Biles ultimately couldn’t answer, while she also struggled with reflecting on her own legacy.
‘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.’
The gymnast won three golds and a silver during the Summer Olympics in Paris this year
The 27-year-old hinted in an interview with SI that she may not return to the Olympics in 2028
Biles’ success in Paris marked a truly triumphant return after she suffered with the ‘twisties’ in Tokyo.
She stunned the world when she withdrew from the Tokyo Games with a mental block that made it dangerous to perform her high-flying routines.
She later hinted that the shock withdrawal was in part due to the sexual abuse she had suffered at the hands of pedophile doctor Larry Nassar.
Biles is one of more than 150 gymnasts who were abused by Nassar, the former national team doctor, during his 30-year career.
In 2018 she came forward and joined more than 150 other women and girls whose testimonies sent Nassar to prison for life for sexual abuse.
USA Gymnastics was ripped apart by the scandal and Biles, as the face of the team, has had to relive the ordeal under a spotlight.
In 2019, revealed that the trauma of the assaults had left her struggling with suicidal thoughts. She also previously revealed she took anxiety medication to deal with the fallout.
But she completed a stunning comeback in the French capital with husband Jonathan Owens cheering her on from the stands inside the Bercy Arena.
Since returning Stateside, Biles had been performing in the Gold Over America tour, which wrapped up on November 3, while Owens kickstarted the NFL season with the Chicago Bears.
