It was notable that Simone Biles was not in attendance for Team USA’s boat entrance on the Seine River during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games, but the professional athlete had a good reason.
“first [gymnastics] “The tournament is on Sunday, the women’s qualifying round, so of course she needs to rest before that,” her mother, Nellie Biles, said. “Today” show’s Hoda Kotb said: on friday.
Simone’s anticipated return to the Olympics will be three years away. She shockingly withdrew from the Olympics She is in Japan to focus on her mental health.
But Nelly reassured Kotb, 59, that this time her daughter was “doing very well.”
“I spoke to her this morning and she’s doing well,” the patriarch said. “She’s in really good shape.”
The 27-year-old Simone qualified to be a member of the U.S. women’s gymnastics team in June, along with teammates Suni Lee, Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles and Hezly Rivera.
Four-time gold medalist He spoke to the media at a press conference. That same month, he said, “This is definitely our revenge tour. We feel like we can all give more. The Tokyo show wasn’t the best.”
But she also acknowledged that “we weren’t in the best situation” at the time.
In addition to the support from her mother and extended family, Simone also had her husband, Jonathan Owens, proudly cheering her on as she competed at the Olympic Trials.
The public display of affection comes months after the Chicago Bears player faced backlash after saying in a controversial interview that he thought he was better at playing catch than an Olympic gold medalist.
In December 2023, Owens claimed on the podcast “Pivot” that he didn’t know who Simone was before they matched on the exclusive dating app “Raya” during the 2020 Olympics.
“I was like, ‘Show me who it is.’ I wasn’t really interested in gymnastics so it piqued my curiosity,” he claimed in the episode, later revealing, “I always say it’s the man in this relationship.”
Simone fiercely defended Owens despite the criticism, but acknowledged that the interview had taken a toll on her.
“It was funny at first, and then it hurt,” she said on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast in April.
“One night I broke down in tears and thought, ‘Why is everyone talking like this about my husband? You don’t even know him.
“If you don’t know who he is, but you’ve met him, you know he’s a very kind person and would do anything for anyone.”
