With her third Games now in the books, Simone Biles has more than solidified herself as one of the all-time Olympic greats.
Not only has she dominated the sport across the board for roughly a full decade now — Biles is the most decorated gymnast of all time — but she walked away from the 2024 Paris Olympics with four more medals to add to her collection.
So what’s next for the gymnastics star?
How did Simone Biles do in Paris?
Simone Biles played her “Redemption Tour” about as good as she possibly could have this summer.
Biles, after her stumble at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics where she withdrew from several events with the “twisties,” won three gold medals in Paris. She helped lead the United States to a team gold in a dominant showing over Italy and Brazil, which avenged their silver medal finish in Japan three years ago.
Biles rallied late to beat teammate Sunisa Lee and Brazilian star Rebeca Andrade to win gold in the all-around. She then wrapped up her week with a dominant gold medal outing in the vault, where she pulled off the Biles II, which is the hardest vault trick in the world.
Biles missed the podium completely on the beam after she lost her balance and slipped, which sent her down to fifth in the competition. But she ended her week with a silver medal finish on the floor. Biles stepped out of bounds twice in her final routine, and finished just slightly behind Andrade. American Jordan Chiles won bronze.
That brought Biles to 11 career Olympic medals, seven of which are gold.
“Today has been absolutely wild,” Biles said after her floor competition. “Obviously exhaustion and whatever sets in [but] it is such an honor … I’ve accomplished more than my wildest dreams so I can’t be upset with my performances.
“Walking away with four medals … I can’t be mad about it. I’m actually proud of it.”
Will Simone Biles return for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles?
Simone Biles could call it a career right now. After everything she’s accomplished dating back even before her Olympics debut in 2016, there’s absolutely nothing left for her to prove.
While she was asked about it almost immediately after winning her 11th Olympic medal, and plenty can happen over the next four years, Biles didn’t rule out competing at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. She did, though, acknowledge the challenge that would bring.
“Never say never,” Biles said. “The next Olympics are at home [in the United States], so you never know. But I am getting old.”
If Biles returns for a fourth Olympics, she’d be 31 years old. She was already significantly older than the rest of Team USA this summer at 27, and she was the oldest American woman to compete in the Olympics since 1952. Biles, of course, is now also the oldest American gymnast to win a gold medal and the most decorated American Olympic gymnast of all time.
That’s not to say she can’t do it again in four years. But the older she gets, the harder the sport becomes.
“At a certain point, as we get older, it gets more scary,” Biles said. “We are more aware of what we are doing and what can happen.”
What will Biles be up to in the meantime?
As is typical after an Olympics, Biles will go on tour with other gymnasts. The Gold Over America tour will travel to 30 U.S. cities this fall, with fellow Team USA gymnasts Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, Fred Richard, Brody Malone, Paul Juda and Stephen Nedoroscik in tow.
That tour may impact Biles’ attendance at Chicago Bears games, as her husband Jonathan Owens plays his first season in Chicago. He returned to Bears training camp this week after traveling to Paris to watch Biles compete.
It’ll likely be a while before we learn what Biles wants to do with her career beyond this year. And for so many reasons, it would make a lot of sense if these Games were her last.
But knowing Biles and what she’s already accomplished, there’s no reason she can’t find a way to make it back to Los Angeles in four years. At least, as long as she wants to.
Source Agencies
