Simone Biles aims to move past those wrenching two weeks in Japan three years ago, when the gymnastics superstar prioritized her mental health and safety over glory, a decision that inspired some and maddened others. Suni Lee wants to prove — perhaps to herself most of all — that the all-around gold medal she earned while Biles watched from the stands wasn’t a fluke. Jordan Chiles hopes to turn the team silver she helped secure at the 2020 Games into gold. Jade Carey is eager to be an official member of the five-woman Olympic squad after earning her way to Tokyo as an individual qualifier, a pathway not available to the U.S. this time around and one she had no interest in exploring again anyway.
Joining these seasoned athletes is 16-year-old newcomer Hezly Rivera, stepping into the unique spotlight only the sport’s biggest stage can provide. Their reasons are deeply personal. Their motivation, however, is not.
“This is definitely our redemption tour,” Biles said after securing her third trip to the Olympics by winning the U.S. trials on Sunday night. “I feel like we all have more to give.”
Perhaps no one more than Biles, who at 27 is the oldest American woman to make an Olympic gymnastics team since the 1950s. She never expected to still be doing this nearly a decade after becoming a crossover sensation at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. And here she is. Still working. Still pushing. Not to silence the critics who still flood her mentions on social media wondering if she’ll “quit” again, but because she remains determined to extract everything she can out of her remarkable talent.
“Nobody’s forcing me to do it,” said Biles, who posted a two-day total of 117.225 to claim the all-around by nearly six points over Lee. “I wake up every day and choose to grind in the gym and come out here and perform for myself. Just to remind myself that I can still do it.”
Biles has been virtually unstoppable since returning from a two-year break last summer. Over the past 12 months, she’s won a sixth world all-around title and captured her eighth and ninth national championships — both records — while performing the hardest gymnastics of her life.
Despite the immense pressure and expectations, Biles is determined to enjoy this journey. She married Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens in the spring of 2023 and the two are building a house in the northern Houston suburbs they hope to move into shortly after Biles returns from Paris.
The Americans will take their oldest women’s team ever to the Games. Biles’ unrivaled longevity — she hasn’t lost a meet she’s started and finished since 2013 — and the easing of rules around name, image, and likeness at the NCAA level allowed Carey (24), Chiles (23), and Lee (21) to continue to compete while cashing in on their newfound fame at the same time.
As Biles prepares for what could be her last competitive round on American soil, she reflects on her journey and the challenges that lie ahead. She has put safeguards in place to protect herself, including meeting with a therapist weekly, even during competition season. This time, she’s determined not to get ahead of herself.
“I feel like success is just what I make it,” she said. “I feel like right now I’ve been successful in competing at Olympic trials and making the Paris Olympic team. So then we’ll see from there on out.”
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