On Thursday, Sports Illustrated named Simone Biles, the 11-time Olympic medalist, its 2024 Sportsperson of the Year. This recognition follows an outstanding year for Biles, who dominated the 2024 Paris Olympics, securing four more medals in team, all-around, vault, and floor exercise events.
At 27, Biles is now tied for the second-most decorated female gymnast in Olympic history, according to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
Biles won three gold medals and one silver in Paris, just a few years after withdrawing from the team final at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to "the twisties"—a disorienting condition where a gymnast's mind and body feel dangerously out of sync.
"Simone Biles is Sports Illustrated's 2024 Sportsperson of the Year because she won gold, and then another gold, and then another; because she changed the face of her sport and the conversations around athletes in general; because she continues to speak out about issues that matter to her," the magazine wrote of Biles. "And perhaps most of all because after she wondered aloud to [teammate Jordan] Chiles whether she was about to relive the darkest period of her career, she took a deep breath, she saluted the judges and she broke into a run."
Biles will be presented with the 2024 Sportsperson of the Year award in person on Jan. 7, during Sports Illustrated's annual awards ceremony in Las Vegas.
Despite her numerous achievements, Biles acknowledged that she's not yet ready to focus on her legacy in the sport.
"I don't think the reality has set in of what I've exactly done in the sport. 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 'til maybe I retire and look back in a couple years like, Damn, she was good. Because I can see that, but I do it every day. So for me, it's normal."
After the historic stint at Paris, Biles is yet to decide if will compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
"If you go back, you'll be greedy. Those are the consequences," she said about the possibility of a fourth Olympic appearance. "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?"
