If you thought Simone Biles would take her Olympic gold medals home from Paris and lay low, you could not have been more wrong. The GOAT and her fellow pro gymnasts just finished touring the country for the Gold Over America Tour—where they put on dance-gymnastics performances at different venues—in an effort to keep the momentum going following the Games.
“Coming back from the Olympics after all the wins (three gold medals and one silver) feels incredible,” Biles says. “You know, it’s a testament to the hard work and dedication of the full Team USA gymnastics team, but like, to put on a show like this, there’s no stress to it.”
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The tour serves as an active recovery for the gymnasts, as it’s one of the only times they get to do what they love in a fun, non-competitive setting, and together. During a performance in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, the crew swirled, twirled, and flipped to the beat of hits from Beyoncé and Taylor Swift—usually with Simone Biles as the main character—while the male part of the team put on a hilarious Ken-themed skit, complete with daring floor exercises.
“We’re having so much fun connecting, making memories that will last a lifetime, and cherishing what we did in Paris,” Biles says. “And we’re so blessed to be selling out some of these arenas; I don’t think some of the cast realizes the impact they’ve made and will have on these kids in the crowd watching us.”
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All of the women wore sparkly navy athleisure fits from the 11-time Olympian’s new collaboration with Athleta. “We’ve always said we want to take the floor to the streets,” Biles says of her collection, which features shiny leotard-inspired leggings, a super-stretchy sport bra, a zip-up top, a bomber jacket, and a belt bag, all in a rich navy.
“Leotards were always our only way to express our style, but now it goes beyond that,” Biles notes. “A lot of us (pro gymnasts) are doing speaking engagements, Fashion Weeks, talk shows, all of the things—we don’t always just want to be known as athletes. So, we are getting to showcase our style off the mat, and it’s been really exciting.”
She adds that she hopes her young fans put on her pieces and feel “comfortable and powerful and confident.”
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Reflecting on the Paris Games, Biles—who also competed in the Río and Tokyo Olympics—says they were “particularly special” because they happened at a time when women’s sports are finding their biggest audience yet.
“I think it’s been an amazing year for women’s sports because we’ve been using our platforms to grow the conversation and inspire our fans around the world to build confidence through movement, just like we do,” she adds. “So I think right now it’s a time for women to be proud, stand in our power, and share our success and our journey and our stories.”
“Women are a powerful force in sports and the more eyes we have on us, the more we prove that! Networks and media can amplify this by making women’s sports a priority,” Biles’s teammate Jordan Chiles adds.
“I think the talent within women’s sports right now speaks for itself!” says Team USA’s Jade Carey, who joined the conversation as well. “I mean, the viewership of women’s basketball this season and the women’s gymnastics team finals during the Olympics proves that people are interested and watching already! I’d love to see that reflected across all women’s sports, though, so I will continue to try and support the sports that may not see that type of consistent viewership.”
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Biles explains that after the Games, she and her teammates took a few days off and then “jumped straight into tour training.”
“I went to go see my husband (NFL player Jonathan Owens) to do a little reset and just spend time with him because ever since we got married we’ve been long distance. I knew that time for us was important, so I hunkered down in Chicago and stayed there for a week and just relaxed with him, and that’s what I really needed to decompress before I got back on the road,” Biles says.
But now, she’s back on the mat, and her journey has no end in sight.
“I think as athletes it’s innate,” she says when I ask her how she stays inspired to keep going after having reached such a massive milestone (winning four medals at the 2024 Olympics). “We’re just so used to it and I truly believe it freaks us out when we have to pause, slow down, or stop. We’re like what’s next, what’s next? Let’s keep it going and keep up the momentum.”
