On Thursday (Jan. 2), Sports Illustrated unveiled the cover of their February 2025 issue, which boasted the incredible Simone Biles on the cover. In addition to making the decorated gymnast their main feature, the publication crowned her 2024 Sportsperson of the Year “because she changed the face of her sport and the conversations around athletes in general.”
At one point in the interview, Biles admitted to having reservations about returning to the floor for the 2028 Summer Olympics, which is set to take place in Los Angeles. “Because I’ve accomplished so much, there’s almost nothing left to do, rather than to just be snobby and to try again, and for what?” she stated. “I’m at a point in my career where I’m humble enough to know when to be done.”
The Texas-raised athlete continued, “’If you go back, you’ll be greedy. Those are the consequences. But that’s also your decision to decide.’ What sacrifices would be made if I go back now? When you’re younger, it’s like prom, college. Now it’s like starting a family, being away from my husband. What’s really worth it?” SI pointed out that she didn't yet have an answer to such a question.
Biles, who possesses seven Olympic gold medals and numerous additional titles at world championships, was also asked about her legacy. “I don’t think the reality has set in of what I’ve exactly done in the sport,” she expressed. “I can see it, and I hear it from people, and I see a glimpse of it, but the full magnitude I don’t think I’ve realized just yet. I don’t think I’ll realize till maybe I retire and look back in a couple years like, ‘D**n, she was good.’ Because I can see that, but I do it every day. So, for me, it’s normal.”