Simone Biles, the two-time Olympic all-around champion, is keeping herself awake at night, wrestling with a decision that could redefine her legacy again: a return to the Olympic stage for the LA 2028 Games. The 29-year-old hasn’t committed, but she’s definitely “leaning towards” something big. It’s a deliberation that, she admitted to The Associated Press, occasionally keeps her up.
The Lure of Home Games and a “Big Reunion”
You gotta wonder how powerful the pull of a *home* Olympic Games is for an athlete who’s already competed in Rio, Tokyo, and Paris. Biles herself said, “Like a home Olympic Games, like, how could you not? It’s absolutely incredible.” The prospect of performing before a domestic audience clearly holds strong appeal, and honestly, who can blame her?
She’s not the only one eyeing LA, either. Fellow Olympians Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, and Jade Carey are aiming for those Games, as is Katelyn Ohashi, who just returned to elite competition in July after a 13-year break. Biles even joked, “It’s going to be like a big reunion if I did,” adding, “It would be so much fun.” You can almost picture the incredible energy of that veteran squad. But even as she talks about the fun, Biles acknowledges the changing landscape, saying, “I know (athletes) are going a lot longer, and I’m just like, what the hell?”
More Than Medals: Age, Body, and Family Plans
Here’s where it gets real. Biles will turn 31 by the time the opening ceremony kicks off in July 2028 across the LA Coliseum and SoFi Stadium. That’s a whole different ballgame compared to her experience in Brazil a decade ago. Earning a spot on a *fourth* Olympic roster would demand significantly more from her body.
But the biggest factor might not even be the physical grind of training. She and her husband, Indianapolis Colts safety Jonathan Owens, plan to start a family. This isn’t just about training schedules; it’s about the potential impact of high-level competition on her reproductive health and the strain of extended separations. Biles laid it out: “I am getting to the age of 30 where we start to talk about, ‘What does your reproduction cycle… what’s going on in there? What does that look like? How healthy is it?’ And so I think these are major things that are on the table at my age that I have to take in consideration and weigh those options and what that looks like and when we want to start a family.” That’s heavy, serious stuff. She’s still got to “weigh the options,” knowing the “clear risks” involved.
Since her historic run in Paris, where she became only the third woman to win multiple all-around gold medals, Biles has spent two years resting while stepping into her role as one of the prominent figures of American athletics. She’s been a massive voice for mental health, foster care awareness, and ADHD support, even recently pushing for skin condition treatments due to her own eczema and seborrheic dermatitis. So, while the call of a home Olympics is powerful, the clock is ticking, and the decisions are getting bigger than just the medals. We’re all waiting to see what this legend decides, knowing it’s about more than just the sport this time around.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply