Simone Biles Opens Up About 'Forbidden Olympics Closet' in Her Home Where She Cried Over 2020 Gear

Simone Biles opens the door to her “forbidden” closet.

In its cover for January 2 Sports Illustratedthe Olympian – who was named the magazine’s 2024 Athlete of the Year – revealed that she has a “no-go closet for the Olympics” in her home with husband Jonathan Owens.

The “closet,” she explained, was actually a rarely used guest room, which the couple turned into a designated space for the Olympic gear Biles has had since the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where she famously retired from competition.

Sometimes, when her NFL player husband, 29, was away from home, she would pull out some of the items, like her Team USA leotard and pins, and cry, she said Sports Illustrated.

Simone Biles at the Tokyo Olympics.

Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post via Getty

“I never wanted to see him see me at my weakest point,” Biles said of Owens, who she says “put in so much effort and showed so much support and love.”

“I didn’t want him to think it wasn’t working,” she explained.

Getty Images

Biles, the most decorated gymnast of all time, pulled out of the 2020 Olympics because of her experience with the “twisties” – and the associated mental health issues she faced – before returning for the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she pushed through an injury list for winning gold in the team final, all-around and vault, plus silver in floor.

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When she wasn’t training for her historic comeback at the Paris Games, she was working on her and Owens’ waterfront mansion-in-the-making — and sharing construction moments with her fans.

Biles has been taking her followers on a home-building ride since September 2023, when she first revealed that the athletes — who had married just months earlier — were building a house together.

Carmen Mandato/Getty, Simone Biles/Instagram

Recently, the Olympian shared a view of the pool, garage, kitchen and laundry room.

“Keeping you updated on my bye week from the tour,” the gymnast wrote on Instagram Stories in October, sharing photos of the construction progress.

simone biles/instagram

The pool at Biles and Owens’ land, which overlooks the lake, already has a foundation in place, and their property is also in the works on a three-car garage, photos revealed. Meanwhile, inside the home, the kitchen boasts a beautiful black and white marble countertop and sleek white cabinetry.

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Source: HIS Education