Simone Biles Might Go For Gold At The 2028 L.A. Olympics After All

It's a comeback story worthy of a Disney movie: After exiting the 2020 Tokyo Games out of concern for her health, Simone Biles came out to the 2024 Paris Olympics with a vengeance. As of August 4, the world champion gymnast had won gold medals in the team and all-around competitions along with gold on individual vault, making her the most decorated person ever to compete in the sport. Proving she's the GOAT in more ways than one, Biles even threw some shade on Donald Trump, tweaking his racially tinged comment about "black jobs." And she might not be done yet!

Following Biles' triumph on vault, reporters asked her if she would be competing at the 2028 Olympic Games in L.A. Per The U.S. Sun, she said, "Never say never. The next Olympics is at home, so you just never know." Still, Biles acknowledged, "I am getting really old," and it is the sad truth. At 27, Biles is the oldest member of the "Golden Girls" (the official team nickname), and most women's gymnasts are more than ready to move on by that time. L.A. would be her fourth Olympics , a huge feat for any gymnast, particularly a top-level athlete. (Uzbekistan's Oksana Chusovitina appeared in eight Games between 1992 and 2021, but she was well past medal contention after the first few appearances.) Even Shannon Miller, whose medal count Biles topped, was ready to stop after two Olympics. 

Simone Biles' fans — not to mention every media outlet — would love to see her take one more shot at adding to her Olympic gold medal count. Biles, however, would rather not discuss the topic anymore. The day after winning her individual vault medal, she scolded those on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying "You guys really gotta stop asking athletes what's next after they win a medal at the Olympics... Let us soak up the moment we've worked our whole lives for." It was an important statement, particularly for the world champion. Biles' life has been marked by tragedy: parents with substance abuse problems, time in foster care, struggles with ADHD. Even the sport she loved became a source of trauma as she's one of the hundreds of survivors of sexual abuse at the hands of USA gymnastics team doctor Larry Nasser. 

Making the Olympics even once after a lifetime of hardship was a triumph on its own. Putting her mental health first in Tokyo was another. And coming back stronger than ever in Paris after working through her mental health issues was sweet icing on the comeback cake. If Biles decides not to go on to L.A., her accomplishments would still be glorious. She might also feel it's time to let other gymnasts have their day, such as Brazil's Rebeca Andrade, who nearly edged her out in the all-around. Per the Daily Mail, Biles commented on the close race, saying, "[I]t brought up the best athlete in myself."