Simone Biles appeared to dash hopes of returning to the Olympic stage at home when Los Angeles hosts the 2028 Summer Games.
After a historic year in which the gymnastics icon established herself as the greatest of all time with three more gold medals in Paris to add to her Olympic record, Biles was named Sport's Illustrated 2024 Athlete of the Year Thursday.
The 27-year-old became the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history after winning three golds (in the team event, all-around and vault) and took silver in the floor exercise after losing to her rival Brazilian Rebeca Andrade for the slightest difference. of margins this summer.
His triumphant return to the Olympic stage brought his total medal tally to 11 medals at the games, seven of which are gold, and his overall career total to 43 thanks to his impressive 23 World Championships.
Biles' impressive performance in Paris, which saw her recover from the trauma of the 'Twisties' in Tokyo, tied Věra Čáslavská as the second most decorated women's Olympic gymnast.
However, after being announced as the winner of the SI honor on Thursday, the American athlete cast doubt on whether she would have a chance to overtake Čáslavská or even Larisa Latynina (18).
Simone Biles was crowned 2024 Sportswoman of the Year by Sports Illustrated
With seven Olympic gold medals and more than two dozen world championships, Biles is now the most decorated gymnast in the world.
Even though 2028 will mark the first time her native United States will host the Olympics since 1996 in Atlanta, Biles admitted there may not be enough incentive for her to launch another bid for gold.
Biles suggested that after reaching the top of the mountain after three Olympics, she had nothing left to prove, and hinted that she knew she should quit while she was ahead.
“Life or death,” she told SI when asked what it would mean to her to return to the Olympic stage in Los Angeles.
'Since I've achieved so much, there's almost nothing left for me to do except be a snob and try again, and for what? I'm at a point in my career where I'm humble enough to know when to call it quits.
'If you come back, you will be greedy. Those are the consequences. But that's also your decision. What sacrifices would be made if I went back now? When you're younger, it's like prom or college. Now it's like starting a family, being away from my husband. What is really worth it?
That was a question Biles ultimately couldn't answer, while also struggling to reflect on her own legacy.
“I don't think exactly what I've done in the sport has come to fruition,” he said. 'I can see it, and I hear it from people, and I glimpse it, but I don't think I've realized the full magnitude of it yet.
“I don't think I'll realize it until maybe I retire and look back in a couple of years and say, Damn, she was good.” Because I can see that, but I do it every day. So for me it's normal.”
The gymnast won three golds and a silver during the Paris Summer Olympics this year.
The 27-year-old hinted in an interview with SI that she may not return to the Olympics in 2028.
Biles' success in Paris marked a truly triumphant return after suffering the 'twisties' in Tokyo.
He surprised the world when he withdrew from the Tokyo Games due to a mental block that made it dangerous to perform his high-flying routines.
She later suggested that Shock's withdrawal was due in part to the sexual abuse she had suffered at the hands of pedophile doctor Larry Nassar.
Biles is one of more than 150 gymnasts who suffered abuse from Nassar, the former national team doctor, during his 30-year career.
In 2018, she came forward and joined more than 150 women and girls whose testimonies sent Nassar to prison for life for sexual abuse.
USA Gymnastics was devastated by the scandal and Biles, as the face of the team, has had to relive the terrible experience in the spotlight.
In 2019, she revealed that the trauma of the assaults had left her struggling with suicidal thoughts. He also previously revealed that he took anxiety medication to deal with the fallout.
But she completed a stunning comeback in the French capital with her husband Jonathan Owens cheering her on from the stands of the Bercy Arena.
Since returning to the United States, Biles had been performing on the Gold Over America tour, which concluded Nov. 3, while Owens kicked off the NFL season with the Chicago Bears.