The One Factor That Will Determine Simone Biles’ 2028 Olympics Future

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Simone Biles is doing mental gymnastics. 

The Olympic medalist, who has won 11 medals, is considering competing in the 2028 Los Angeles games, but she says taking care of her mental health is more important than competing.

In an interview with CNN published on April 29th, Simone Biles acknowledged she needs to decide on her future plans soon. She explained that while her coaches can get her physically ready, her mental health will be a major factor in those decisions.

I’ve been following this gymnast for years, and honestly, watching her compete is breathtaking. She makes everything look so easy – like at the Paris Olympics in 2024 where she won three golds and a silver! But she’s also incredibly brave to talk about her struggles. I remember being so worried when she dealt with the ‘twisties’ – that terrifying mental block where you lose your sense of where you are in the air – during the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. It really impacted her performance then, but it’s amazing to see her come back so strong.

She explained that seeing people react this way helped her show everyone she’s genuine. Many had assumed she wasn’t real, but she wanted to emphasize that, at her core, she’s just like everyone else – a real person.

Following her experience in Tokyo, she explained that her struggles with the “twisties” were a result of the trauma she endured from the abuse by Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor. Nassar was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison in 2018 for sexually abusing young gymnasts.

In her 2024 documentary, Simone Biles Rising, Biles explained that she had always dealt with difficult experiences by suppressing them and planning to address them after her career was over. However, a recent event – which occurred at the Olympics – forced her to confront this pattern. She admitted she hadn’t sought the help she needed earlier because she believed she could handle things on her own.

The athlete recently shared with CNN that she’s seeing a therapist and hopes other athletes will feel comfortable discussing their mental health struggles when competing.

I really looked up to Naomi Osaka and Kevin Love – they were so brave to open up about their struggles with mental health. Honestly, there weren’t many other public figures doing that at the time, and seeing them share their experiences gave me the courage to speak out about my own. They were my role models in that way, and it made a huge difference for me.

Hearing athletes talk about her work is incredibly meaningful. It shows that her efforts are making a real difference, giving people a voice, and leading to positive change, which she finds deeply rewarding.

Simone Biles is the most accomplished gymnast ever, achieving incredible things despite many challenges. Here’s a look at some of the most memorable moments from her career…

Simone Biles first gained international attention at the 2013 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Belgium.

I was absolutely thrilled watching her compete! She qualified in first place for the all-around, and then also made the finals for every single event – vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise, topping the charts on floor! It was incredible because she became the first American gymnast since 1991 to qualify for both the all-around and all four event finals. And at only 16 years old, she made history as the first Black woman, and seventh American woman ever, to win the world all-around title. I knew she was special from the start!

Believe or not, the young athlete has four (!) gymnastic moves named after her.

Simone Biles first performed a difficult gymnastics move – a double layout with a half twist – during practice at the 2013 U.S. Classic. This move hadn’t been successfully completed in competition for eight years, since London Phillips did it in 2005. Biles then flawlessly executed the skill at the 2013 World Championships, earning widespread recognition for her achievement.

Simone Biles demonstrated her incredible talent at the 2015 U.S. National Championships, winning her third all-around title. This made her only the second woman in 23 years – following Kim Zmeska – to achieve this feat.

At the 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, Simone Biles finished with a remarkable score of 60.399.

That win made her the first woman ever to win three World Gymnastics Championships all-around titles in a row. It also gave her a total of 10 gold medals at the World Championships, the most any female gymnast had ever won at that point.

Simone Biles has always confidently responded to criticism, especially regarding comments about her body.

Back in 2016, the gymnast shared on Twitter that she felt good about herself just as she was. Then, in 2020, she made it clear she was no longer concerned with fitting into traditional beauty standards or dealing with online negativity, stating that everyone should define beauty for themselves. It was a powerful message, and she delivered it perfectly.

Simone Biles is the first female gymnast since Daniela Silivaș in 1988 to win a medal in every event at either the Olympics or the World Championships. She achieved this at the 2018 World Championships in Doha.

Simone Biles led Team USA to first place just a day after being treated for a kidney stone. She even joked on Twitter that the pain wasn’t going to stop her from competing.

I still remember when Simone first unveiled that incredible vault at the selection camp after the 2018 World Championships! It’s now known as ‘The Biles,’ and honestly, describing it doesn’t do it justice. It’s a roundoff, back handspring with a half turn onto the vault, followed by a stretched front somersault with two twists. It’s as breathtaking as it sounds – truly amazing to watch!

Biles followed up her jaw-dropping 2018 move with an impressive balance beam skill. 

Simone Biles began practicing her now-famous dismount – a complex backward flip with two twists and two tucks – in 2013. She first performed it publicly at the 2019 World Championships, where it received the highest difficulty rating possible on the balance beam. Although Biles felt the skill’s value wasn’t fully recognized, she landed it successfully during qualifications, cementing its place in gymnastics history as the ‘Biles dismount’.

At the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, Simone Biles continued to dominate, breaking the record for most World Championship medals. She surpassed Vitaly Scherbo’s previous record of 23 by winning two more gold medals, bringing her total to 25.

In April 2021, Simone Biles announced she was leaving Nike and partnering with Athleta instead.

She told the Wall Street Journal that the decision wasn’t just about her accomplishments, but also about her values and her desire to advocate for women and children. She appreciated that the organization supported her not only as an athlete, but as a person with goals beyond sports, and found that support incredibly encouraging.

In May 2021, this gymnast made history by successfully performing the incredibly difficult Yurchenko double pike vault during her first competition in over a year. This new vault was initially given a score of 6.6, making it the most valuable vault currently performed by female gymnasts.

Simone Biles continued her incredible career by making history on June 6, 2021, when she won her seventh U.S. national all-around championship – more than any other American woman gymnast.

After winning, Simone shared how emotional the experience was, particularly as it was her second time competing in the Olympics. She described the moment as incredible and expressed her gratitude for the support of the fans, especially considering the challenges of the past year.

As a lifestyle expert, I remember when Simone Biles really made a splash back in June 2021! She unveiled a new competition leotard covered in sparkly goat imagery, and honestly, the internet went wild. Everyone was talking about it – it was such a fun and unexpected moment!

She told Marie Claire the inspiration came from wanting to respond to negative comments. People were playfully suggesting she do something outrageous, like wearing a goat on her leotard, just to annoy them. She thought it was a brilliant idea – to intentionally provoke the critics while giving her fans something to cheer about.

Biles was one of 17 people who received the nation’s highest civilian honor in 2022.

In 2023, ten years after becoming a world champion at just 16 years old, the gymnast secured her 27th world gold medal at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships. This achievement brought her total medal count – combining World and Olympic medals – to 34, setting a new record.

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2026-04-30 18:48