Simone Biles had the support of some significant figures during her remarkable performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Among the many prominent spectators, it was clear that her family was the most important to her. Her parents and sister traveled to Paris to cheer her on during what was her third appearance at the Summer Games. One particularly special supporter was her husband, Jonathan Owens, a safety for the Chicago Bears, who had been granted permission by the team to miss a substantial portion of training camp so that he could be by his wife’s side during her historic performances.
Owens reflected on this experience during a recent podcast interview on “INTERCEPTED with Kevin Byard.” While reminiscing about his time in Paris, Owens shared that beyond the unforgettable sights and sounds of the iconic city, one of his standout memories was watching the gymnastics finals at the Bercy Arena. He also enjoyed some luxury shopping and the general atmosphere of the French capital, but nothing compared to being part of the crowd for the gymnastics events, where his wife was competing for Olympic gold.
Owens was particularly struck by the diversity of the fans in attendance, with various nations represented in the audience, each enthusiastically supporting their athletes. Interestingly, he found himself seated directly behind the Brazilian delegation, who were passionately cheering for Biles’ main rival, Rebecca Andrade. Despite being surrounded by Andrade’s supporters, Owens made sure to show his strong backing for Biles and Team USA. This experience led him to reflect on how fortunate he was to be in such an incredible situation. He marveled at how universally understood competition is and how thrilling it was to see so many people gathered to witness his wife’s talent on the world stage. He recounted moments where he couldn’t help but be in awe of the path his life had taken, saying, “Competition is universal so everybody understands the stakes are high… Most of the people [were] there to see my wife. It’d be crazy moments like that to where I just sit back and like, ‘Man, look where God had put me.'”
The most significant part of Owens’ trip was watching Biles secure two gold medals. He arrived in time to witness her triumph in the team all-around final, where the United States took gold. He was also present for the individual all-around competition, where Biles added another gold to her tally. Unfortunately, Owens had to return to Chicago before Biles won her third and final gold medal in the vault final. Despite missing that final event, Owens was still overjoyed by the experience and expressed his gratitude for being able to witness such historic moments alongside his wife.
Overall, Owens thoroughly enjoyed his time in Paris, both as a supportive husband and as a spectator witnessing one of the greatest athletes in Olympic history. Not everyone gets to say that their partner is not only an Olympian but one of the most decorated and dominant athletes in the sport, which is something Owens clearly cherishes.
Leave a Reply