By Ben Church, CNN
American gymnast Simone Biles has already claimed 11 Olympic medals - seven of which were gold. Photo: AFP/LOIC VENANCE
It's the question that keeps being asked, but one that is yet to have a definitive answer.
Simone Biles' participation at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles is one that has triggered much debate, but the American is yet to make a concrete decision.
Biles is fully aware that she is in the twilight of her career. At 27, she is considered an older gymnast and she has spoken publicly about the impact the sport now has on her body.
Still, given she is arguably one of the biggest US sports stars on the planet, there is a clamour for her to compete in the City of Angels and she has continued to field questions about her future.
In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Biles explained there is a lot more than legacy and sporting ambition at stake when deciding whether she'll continue her career into a home Olympics.
"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? I'm at a point in my career where I'm humble enough to know when to be done," she said, without fully ruling out participating.
"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?"
Biles in action at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Photo: photosport
The American is already one of the greatest Olympians her country has ever produced, winning 11 Olympic medals - seven of which were gold.
Throw in 30 World Championship medals, including 23 golds, and a dramatic Olympic comeback at Paris 2024 and you'll only begin to understand the impact Biles has had on her sport.
Biles also married NFL star Jonathan Owens in 2023 and has spoken publicly about wanting to start a family.
The wedding came a few months before the gymnastics great returned to the sport after a two-year hiatus, which she took to help manage her mental health.
But now, given her brilliance at the Paris Games earlier this year, the possibility of her competing at LA is one on everyones lips.
In an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon earlier this year, she said: "Everyone wants to know this question. I'm like, 'Can't I live?'"
She was joking, of course, laughing with Fallon when she gave her retort, but Biles is clearly not yet ready to make her decision - at least not publicly.
- CNN
