Gymnastics keeps Simone Biles apart from Jonathan Owens as she weighs her most important decision

Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens will spend this Sunday apart because of their respective sports careers. While the Indianapolis Colts safety visits the Minnesota Vikings, the Olympic champion is in Rotterdam, where the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships are being held.

Biles' absence from the stadium has a special explanation: this time, her attention is focused on the sport that made her one of the great figures in Olympic history. And her visit comes while it remains unresolved whether she will compete again in the Olympic Games of Los Angeles 2028.

Simone Biles feels the thrill of a World Championships again

Biles appeared Saturday at Rotterdam’s Ahoy Arena and was introduced to the crowd before the apparatus finals. Although this time she was in the stands, the atmosphere of the competition gave her familiar feelings.

The gymnast herself acknowledged that the music before the events and the audience’s anticipation made her nervous, as if she were about to go out and compete.

“It’s nice to be back in this environment,” she commented during her appearance before the spectators. 

From the stands she was also able to follow the performance of Rebeca Andrade, one of her great rivals. The Brazilian won the world gold in vault with an average of 14.466 points, ahead of the Americans Claire Pease and Skye Blakely, who completed the podium.

Andrade and Biles starred in one of the great duels of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The Brazilian defeated the American in the floor final, while Biles finished that event with three gold medals and one silver.

Los Angeles 2028, the great unknown

The visit to Rotterdam comes as Biles continues to weigh the possibility of returning to competition. The American, who will turn 31 in 2028, has not yet decided whether to pursue a spot on the Olympic team for the Los Angeles Games.

The idea of competing at home has an obvious appeal, but the gymnast has also acknowledged that she must weigh the physical and personal cost of taking on Olympic preparation again. Among the factors are the time required by high-performance training and her family plans with Owens.

Biles has not competed since the Paris Games and has made it clear that she does not want to make the decision under external pressure. For now, she is enjoying gymnastics from another perspective: that of a spectator who knows firsthand the tension and excitement experienced by those who step onto the floor.

A Sunday with different agendas

While Biles closely follows the World Championships, Owens faces Minnesota with the Colts. The couple is once again balancing two demanding sports schedules, although this time it is gymnastics that takes center stage in the champion's attention.

Her absence will also leave another void that fans had already grown accustomed to: the looks Simone Biles usually wears to accompany Jonathan Owens at games. The gymnast turned her appearances in the stands into part of the show, with custom Colts outfits and pieces dedicated to her husband that quickly become a topic of conversation on social media. This time, Minnesota will be without one of the most recognizable presences off the field.

Her presence in Rotterdam does not confirm a return to competition, but it does keep her close to the environment that defined much of her career. The question of Los Angeles 2028 remains open: Biles still has to decide whether she wants to experience it again from the inside.