Simone Biles celebrates anniversary with NFL BF Jonathan Owens
The gold medalist was all smiles in a loving post about her one-year anniversary with boyfriend Jonathan Owens
Olympic-medal winning gymnast Simone Biles celebrated her one-year anniversary with boyfriend Jonathan Owens.
Biles and Owens, who is a safety for the Houston Texans NFL football team, were all smiles in an Instagram post commemorating their benchmark anniversary. She said in the caption, “oops I forgot to tell y’all that we’ve been dating for more than a year, so happy past 1 year to the best thing that’s ever happened to you: ME”
The two athletes met on the dating app Raya during the early stages of the nationwide lockdown in March 2020. In an interview with Texas Monthly in mid-June, the footballer claims he “didn’t know who she was” prior to matching on the site.
Biles has just returned home to the U.S. after competing in the Tokyo Summer Olympics.
The gold-medalist made headlines after she announced that she would be withdrawing from some events during the Olympics, stating that her “mental’s not there.”
Her decision sparked widespread conversations about the pressure on athletes, and particularly Black female athletes, to overwork themselves through mental health crises and issues. Tennis star Naomi Osaka, also recently made headlines for choosing to skip press conferences during the French Open because she wanted to prioritize her mental health.
Biles said that the emphasis on competing and winning through any physical or emotional stress can break an athlete. In her case, she said that she was suffering from the “twisties,” which is a psychological state of dissociation that prevents athletes from performing at their best.
“Literally can not tell up from down,” she said on Instagram, describing the “twisties.” “It’s the craziest feeling ever. Not having an inch of control over your body,” she continued. “What’s even scarier is since I have no idea where I am in the air I also have NO idea how I am going to land. Or what I am going to land on. Head/hands/feet back…”
In support of her decision to withdraw, Owens posted a message on Instagram saying that he would “ride with [Simone] through whatever baby” and that he could not wait to see her.
Biles went on to compete and earn a bronze medal on the balance beam.
While the two were separated during the 17-day span of the Olympics, Owens continued to show his support from afar, retweeting several posts about Simone from the Team USA Twitter account.
In her post about their anniversary, he commented: “Time flies when your having fun. To many more with you baby.”
Earlier this month, Biles also posted several photos with Owens on her Instagram, including one at his football practice, with the caption, “another day another practice.”
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