Gymnastics

After an unfortunate end to her run in the Tokyo Olympics in the summer of 2021, legendary gymnast Simone Biles was unsure about the reception she'd receive from her home country.

Biles revealed on the Call Her Daddy podcast (h/t the Today show) that she was fearful of returning to the United States after she took home the bronze medal in the balance beam, her only individual medal that year after suffering from a case of the "twisties."

"If I could've gotten on a plane and flown home, I would've done it. I thought I was going to be banned from America 'cause that's what they tell you: 'Don't come back if not gold. Gold or bust. Don't come back,'" she said (h/t Patrick Smith of NBC News).

Biles shocked the world when she struggled to execute and landed awkwardly during her vault routine. She withdrew from both the team final and the individual all-around final, citing a need to focus on her mental health. However, her decision weighed heavily on her mind.

"America hates me. The world is going to hate me. I can only see what they're saying on Twitter right now," she recalled feeling at the time.

Biles returned to competition last year and appears to be intent on participating in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. She's set to be in action at the U.S. Classic in Hartford, Connecticut, next month.

Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas has postponed her return to gymnastics.

Douglas announced on Instagram that she is pulling out of this weekend's USA Gymnastics' Winter Cup in Louisville, Kentucky, after returning a positive COVID-19 test.

"Hey guys. I'm so sad to say that I won't be competing this weekend. I was so excited to get back out on the competition floor, but unfortunately, I just tested positive for COVID," Douglas wrote.

"Thank you so much for all of your support and positive energy—it really does mean the world to me. I'm crushed but I'll see you guys soon!

"Sending my best to everyone competing."

Douglas was set to compete in three of four events at this weekend's meet. It was going to be her first competition since the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where she helped the United States capture a gold medal in the team competition.

The 28-year-old, who made history when she became the first Black gymnast to win an Olympic all-around gold medal in 2012, announced that she would be returning to gymnastics training in July 2023 with eyes toward competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

"I know I have a huge task ahead of me and I am beyond grateful and excited to get back out on the floor," Douglas wrote on Instagram at the time.

Douglas has been training at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy in Texas, which is owned by the parents of 2008 Olympic champion Nastia Liukin. While she has been working on all four apparatuses, she has placed more of a focus on her signature event, the uneven bars.

Douglas told NBC News earlier this month that she decided to make a comeback after watching the 2022 U.S. Championships.

"I didn't want to end this sport how I did in 2016. I wanted to take a step back and work on my mental state," Douglas said. "I love gymnastics and love pushing myself. ... I never wanted to walk away on a bad day."

Douglas will become the first American woman to make three Olympic teams since Dominique Dawes if she is selected for the United States' five-person Paris team.

Simone Biles, who was on the 2016 gold medal-winning team alongside Douglas, is also vying to make an Olympic comeback. She is the most decorated U.S. women's gymnast in history.

Additionally, Sunisa 'Suni' Lee, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics all-around champion, is hoping to return to the Olympics after battling a kidney-related illness.

The 20-year-old announced her retirement from her NCAA career at Auburn in April 2023 because of the illness, but she recently revealed in an interview with Olympics.com that she is "in remission"

Gabby Douglas announced Tuesday that she is making her return to competitive gymnastics and hoping to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

According to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), Douglas stated her intention on NBC News Now, saying: "I never announced a retirement. I didn't want to end this sport like I did in 2016. I wanted to take a step back and work on myself and my mental state."

Douglas, 28, is best known for winning a gold medal in the all-around competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, making her the first Black woman to accomplish that feat.

After winning gold in the all-around and team event as a member of the United States squad dubbed the "Fierce Five," Douglas returned to win team gold again at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro as part of the "Final Five."

Douglas was a teenager during each of her two Olympic experiences, but now as she approaches 30 years of age, she is hoping for an Olympic swan song.

She will compete at the Winter Cup in Louisville, Kentucky, on Feb. 24, marking her first competitive gymnastics meet in nearly eight years.

Douglas, who returned to training in 2022, said she is "definitely" aiming to make the 2024 Olympic team and added: "I honestly love going to the gym and getting my skills back. It is very exciting."

Spotted 👀 Gabby Douglas double layout in her “mysterious” floor routine???

(🎥: @gabrielledoug) pic.twitter.com/kK88TbeV9M

— Gymnastics Now (@Gymnastics_Now) February 7, 2024

While Douglas was the best gymnast in the world for a period of time, it is unclear how the lengthy layoff has potentially impacted her.

Even by 2016, Douglas had been surpassed by fellow American Simone Biles, who won the 2016 Olympic all-around and established herself as arguably the greatest gymnast of all time.

Biles is looking to make Team USA at the 2024 Olympics after taking a two-year break following the 2020 Olympics, as is 2020 Olympic all-around champion Suni Lee.

Lee and Biles are the favorites to represent he United States in the all-around at the 2024 Olympics, meaning Douglas' best chance at making the team may be as a specialist in a certain discipline or as someone capable of contributing positively to the team event.

Legendary gymnast Simone Biles is hoping to compete at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, but it sounds like it's not guaranteed that she'll be able to make the trip.

While speaking to Leah Faye Cooper of Vanity Fair, Biles said, "If I don't make it to Paris, it won't absolutely crush me." When asked if that meant nothing was definitive she replied, "Correct."

The last time Biles competed in the Olympics at the 2020 Tokyo Games, she was forced to withdraw from multiple finals in order to focus on her mental health. She had experienced the "twisties," which Korin Miller of Women's Health described as "a strange phenomenon in gymnastics where someone can no longer do a twisting skill they've done many times in the past."

Biles managed to take home the bronze medal on the balance beam in the Tokyo Olympics, which tied the record for most Olympic medals by an American gymnast. However, she took a two-year hiatus from the sport of gymnastics to focus on her mental health, and she admitted it wasn't easy during her time away.

"I wish I could sit here and tell you it was glorious," Biles said of her time off following Tokyo. "When I took a break after 2016, I had the time of my life. I was doing anything and everything. But after 2020, it was kind of depressing until I started therapy and got help. I felt like a failure. Even though I was empowering so many people and speaking out about mental health, every time I talked about my experience in Tokyo—because it obviously didn't go the way that I had planned—it stung a little bit. But all in all, it was the best decision."

Biles returned to training in late 2022 and returned to competition earlier this year. The 26-year-old set a new record when she won her eighth all-around title at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships in August. She set the record for most international gymnastics medals when she won her sixth all-around title at the world championships in Belgium in October, giving her 34 for her career.

It's clear that Biles is still at the top of her game, so gymnastics fans are surely hoping to see her add to her illustrious career at the Paris Olympics.

Add another accomplishment to Simone Biles' incredible resume.

She became the sixth woman to be named the Associated Press' Female Athlete of the Year for a third time on Friday when she was announced as the 2023 winner. She was also recognized with the award in 2016 and 2019.

The star gymnast was followed by Iowa basketball player Caitlin Clark and Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmati in the voting. Bonmati helped lead Spain's soccer team to a World Cup crown this year.

It is a testament to Biles' resilience that she is back to being recognized for her athletic greatness following a two-year hiatus from her sport.

Despite winning the bronze medal in the balance beam at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, her time at those Games is largely remembered for her decision to pull out of multiple events as she dealt with "the twisties."

Yet she was back and as dominant as ever in 2023.

Simone Biles places 1st place in her first competition back in two years 🥇👏

(via @NBCOlympics)pic.twitter.com/Eu6TjCJXHJ

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 6, 2023

Biles took home her record eighth U.S. national championship and a sixth world all-around gold this year. She participated in her first gymnastics competition in two years in July before winning the U.S. title in August and her world championship in October.

Not only that, but she also became the first woman to perform a Yurchenko double-pike in international competition.

Graves noted it became the fifth element to carry her name in gymnastics' code of points, underscoring her place as arguably the most dominant performer in the sport's history.

The upcoming year could be even better, as she is likely on her way to the 2024 Paris Olympics. She will look to add to a resume at the Games that features four gold medals, one silver medal and two bronze medals.

Biles was unstoppable at the 2016 Olympics with gold in the all-around, team, vault and floor competitions to go with a bronze on the beam.

Perhaps she will be even better at the next Games.

Simone Biles' husband Jonathan Owens may be the No. 1 fan of his wife now, but he didn't know about her four Olympic gold medals when they first met.

When the two first matched on the dating app Raya in March 2020, Owens did not recognize Biles, the Green Bay Packers safety said earlier this week on The Pivot Podcast.

"I never really paid attention to gymnastics, so it piqued my curiosity, so I said, I'll see what's up," Owens said. "I swiped her, and it said we matched."

"I didn't know who she was at the time, but the first thing that I saw was that she had a bunch of followers, so in my mind I'm like, okay, she's got to be good."

Owens' comments come around the 9:30 mark of the video below.

When Biles won individual gold medals in the individual all-around, vault and floor events at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Owens was playing football for Missouri Western State University.

"When she won the Olympics, I was in college, and we didn't have NBC, we didn't have Olympics channels, and we were in camp... I never had a moment where I would have watched," Owens said.

Owens said he learned Biles was "the real deal" when the two went out and Biles was the one drawing attention.

"It was all these moms, they're there with their kids, and we walked past and everybody stopped," Owens said. "Kids are shaking, like, 'Oh my god'... They're asking me, 'Here, can you take this picture?'"

It's safe to say Owens is more knowledgable about Biles' career achievements now. Just over three years after meeting, the pair announced the news of their marriage in April 2023.

LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne is going to be featured again in Sports Illustrated's annual Swimsuit Issue, but this time, it will be as an official rookie.

Sports Illustrated announced Tuesday that Dunne will be in the 2024 Swimsuit Issue, for which she was photographed in Porto and North of Portugal.

"Coming back for Year 2, I mean, last year I said it was a dream come true, and nothing's changed," Dunne said as part of the announcement. "It's still a dream come true. I can't believe I can call myself a rookie. It feels unreal."

Such an honor, best day ever!✨ #ROOKIE https://t.co/vQf6lqKS40

— Olivia Dunne (@livvydunne) November 28, 2023

This marks the second consecutive year that Dunne will appear in the issue. She was one of two LSU athletes featured in the 2023 issue, along with basketball star Angel Reese.

The 2024 release will mark the 60th anniversary of Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue. Dunne is being featured as an official SI Swimsuit rookie this time around. Past rookies include Olivia Culpo, Kate Upton, Brooklyn Decker and Chrissy Teigen.

More details about the issue will be unveiled in the lead up to its release. The 2024 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue will be available in May.

Dunne will be entering her senior year on the LSU gymnastics team next year. The 21-year-old missed most of her junior season because of shoulder, biceps and leg injuries.

The Tigers advanced to the finals at the NCAA women's gymnastics tournament, finishing fourth behind Oklahoma, Florida and Utah.

While Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce get a lot of the shine, they aren't the only celebrity couple in the NFL.

Superstar Olympic gymnast Simone Biles has been a very present and active supporter of her husband Jonathan Owens, who plays strong safety for the Green Bay Packers.

So, when Owens scored a touchdown Thursday in Green Bay's Thanksgiving game against the Detroit Lions, Biles was quick to take to X—formerly known as Twitter—to show how proud she was of him.

THATS MY HUSBAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY MANS MY MANS MY MANSSSSS🥹🥹🥹🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍 LFGGGGGGOOOOOOO! https://t.co/baxxoePhpB

— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) November 23, 2023

Owens scored following a Rashan Gary strip sack of Lions quarterback Jared Goff in the first quarter. He was in the right place at the right time and was able to pick the ball up and return it 27-yards to give the Packers 20-6 lead.

Green Bay entered halftime with a 23-6 lead over their division rivals.

Owens and Biles began their relationship in 2020 before getting married back in April of this year. The 28-year-old safety has played for three different teams since going undrafted in 2018..

As for Biles, she is world renowned as arguably the greatest gymnast to ever live, amassing seven Olympic medals—four gold—and taking the sport to new heights nearly every time she enters an event.

She'll be hoping to continue her phenomenal career at the Olympics in Paris next summer. And her husband will certainly be supporting her every step of the way.

Reigning Olympic all-around champion Sunisa Lee said she gained 45 pounds this year due to a "scary" kidney problem, according to USA Today's Josh Peter.

That same unspecified kidney issue caused Lee to announce in April the end of her college career during her sophomore season at Auburn.

"I couldn't fit into any of my clothes,'' Lee said. "My eyes were swollen shut. It was just so scary.''

The issue resulted in swelling that made it difficult for Lee to do the routines that won her the all-around gold and a bronze at the uneven bars at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, as well as a gold on balance beam at the 2022 NCAA Championships.

"I haven't had a really bad day in a while,'' Lee said, per Peter. "But in the beginning it was like I was waking up swollen. My fingers were so swollen they wouldn't fit into my grips and I couldn't hold on to the bar. … My whole body was swollen because I was retaining water, so I couldn't do a flip."

Those issues resulted in a lower-sodium diet and adjusting her training schedule to focus on what Lee calls her "good days," per Peter.

Lee rejoined competition at the U.S. Classic in August. She did not participate in her signature uneven bars event but earned a bronze medal on beam in her return.

In her April post announcing the end of her Auburn career, Lee said she still wanted to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

"I will not stop pursuing my dreams for a bid to Paris in 2024," Lee wrote. "In fact, this experience has sharpened my vision for the future."

The U.S. Olympic Team trials will take place in June in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Former Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton is back home recovering after being released from a Texas hospital following a stay in ICU due to pneumonia, her daughter McKenna Kelley announced on Monday.

Mary Lou Retton’s daughter just announced on Instagram that her mother is out of the hospital and at home. pic.twitter.com/atgttI94EX

— Christine Brennan (@cbrennansports) October 23, 2023

Kelley's announcement continued, "We are overwhelmed with the love and support from everyone. Grateful doesn't scrape the surface of the posture of our hearts. Thank you Jesus, thank you doctors & nurses, thank you to this loving community of support."

Per Anna Lazarus Caplan of People, it was nearly two weeks ago that Kelley established a Spotfund fundraising page and shared the news that her mother "has a very rare form of pneumonia and is fighting for her life."

"She is not able to breathe on her own. She's been in the ICU for over a week now," Kelley stated. "Out of respect for her and her privacy, I will not disclose all details. However, I will disclose that she is not insured."

Since then, the fundraising page has raised more than $459,000.

"My sisters and I are overwhelmed—overwhelmed," Retton's daughter Shayla Kelley Schrepfer wrote on Instagram. "We didn't even realize that there's so many people out there that love her just as much as we do and it's been a really hard time for our family. ... And so just seeing that people love her like that, showing her that support has just meant the world to us and to her, so thank you."

Retton became the first American woman to win the all-around gold medal in Olympic gymnastics at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles. She also won two silver medals and two bronze medals at the same Olympics.