Simone Biles said Saturday that she had recently been hospitalized after a medical emergency she described as one of the scariest moments of her life. In Instagram Stories, the 29-year-old said she was recovering and added that “almost dying wasn’t on my bingo card this week.”
The disclosure immediately drew attention because Biles gave no details about what happened. She said only that she had been in bed resting for the week while Jonathan Owens was in Indy for practices, a reminder that the gymnast’s life off the mat can turn just as suddenly as anything she does on it.
Biles has built one of the most visible careers in sports, and she has usually guarded her private health matters closely. This time, she chose to speak first in fragments: a hospital stay, a week in bed, a resting heart-rate monitor on her bedside table, and flowers sent by people close to her. She thanked that circle for checking in, visiting and sending support, saying, “I’ll explain sooner or later.”
What she did not say matters just as much. Biles did not disclose what caused the medical emergency, leaving the biggest question unanswered even as she made clear the episode was serious enough to leave her shaken. She also posted images of floral arrangements she received, a small sign that the response around her was immediate even if the details of the scare were not.
Owens has not publicly addressed the health scare, though Biles said he was away for practices when it happened. The two began dating in 2020 after meeting on the celebrity dating app Raya, tied the knot in 2023 after three years together, and have often backed each other publicly since then. In July 2024, Owens said attending her gymnastics meets means telling her, “Go do your thing, baby,” a line that now lands differently after her latest update.
For now, Biles says she is still recovering and will explain more later. Until she does, the story is less about what she revealed than what she withheld: a serious medical episode that interrupted the week of one of the world’s most watched athletes, and a question about her condition that remains open.
