Simone Biles defends husband after he wore her Olympic gold medal

Simone Biles, the gold medalist from Team USA, stood on the podium during the medal ceremony for the Artistic Gymnastics Women’s Vault Final on day eight of the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Biles successfully defended her title and celebrated her victory with her family, including her husband, Jonathan Owens.

Biles faced backlash from fans when Owens, a player for the Chicago Bears, was seen wearing her first gold medal from the 2024 Paris Olympics. Under a TikTok video by Kiera Breaugh, who criticized Owens for wearing the medal, Biles defended her husband, explaining that she allowed every family member to wear her medal and took pictures with them. She commented, “Crazy thing is, I put my medal on every single one of my family members and took pictures. So don’t ever make assumptions,” adding, “Like y’all are so [expletive] miserable. Leave us alone.”

Owens celebrated Biles’ achievement by posting a photo of them together, with him wearing and holding her gold medal. His caption read, “Witnessing history every time you step on the mat 😍🔥 Congrats baby on becoming the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history!!!! Just wow!!!! 8 of them!!!!! So thankful I was there to see it ❤️🤍💙.”

However, not all fans were supportive. One user commented, “Why he holding it like he won it,” while another added, “Mr. Simone Biles, if you don’t give that woman back her medal like (be for real).” Kiera Breaugh’s TikTok video, which criticized Owens for wearing the medal, gained significant traction with over 500,000 views. In her video, Breaugh expressed her disapproval, stating, “Take her medal off! Was it you, Mr. Simone Biles, who was flying through the air yesterday? Was it you who spun like a top 30 times in the air and landed without stumbling? No.”

Breaugh’s comments marked a stark contrast from her initial thoughts, where she found it endearing that Owens was taking detailed notes of Biles’ performance. “You were taking notes in the audience, and I thought that was cute. I was gonna give him a pass. I thought him keeping score in the audience was kind of cute. I was gonna take it easy on him,” she said. Breaugh concluded her video by questioning Owens’ decision to wear the medal, suggesting it could have been a better PR move to let Biles wear it for the photo. She speculated that Owens saw it as his only chance to wear a gold medal.

Meanwhile, Simone Biles continued her dominant run at the Olympics, winning her 10th medal on Saturday, August 3, by excelling in the women’s vault final. She outperformed her Brazilian rival, Rebeca Andrade, with an average score of 15.300 points from her two vaults. This victory marked Biles’ third gold medal in Paris, following earlier wins in the team final and the all-around final. Biles’ Olympic medal tally now stands at seven golds, one silver, and two bronzes, solidifying her status as the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history.