Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens are a match made in elite athlete heaven.
The Olympic gymnastics GOAT and the NFL player have been together since just before the COVID-19 pandemic, and have made each other stronger, happier, and even more formidable competitors. Read on for a full explainer on their relationship.
RELATED:Gymnast Livvy Dunne Says Simone Biles Is “Out for Revenge” in 2024 Summer Olympics
Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens met in 2020 on a dating app
The pair matched on celeb-loved dating app Raya just before the pandemic hit stateside. “I didn’t know who she was,” hetoldTexas Monthlyin June 2021. “I just hadn’t heard of her, and when I told her that, that’s one of the things she liked.”
"We ended up hanging out right before the pandemic,” he added. “It was one of the few times in her life where everything was just shut off and she couldn’t do anything. So we used it to get to know each other—really get to know each other. It created our bond and made it stronger. Now I’m so thankful.”
They went "Instagram official" in August of that year.
In March 2021,they celebrated both their 1-year anniversary and Biles’ 24th birthday, taking a vacation together to Belize.
“I love you more than i love Belize and thats a lot,” Biles writes on Instagram.
Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens pose on the field prior to Game One of the 2022 World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on October 28, 2022 in Houston, Texas. Photo: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
Owens supported Biles after the difficulties of the Tokyo Olympics
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics — which were actually held in July 2021 because of a pandemic delay — were a difficult time for Biles. Though she already had secured her reputation as a legendary gymnast, she still had more to give her team. Unfortunately, due to a case of the "twisties," she ended up withdrawing from several events.
"Post Tokyo, Jonathan was just like, I mean, he always has a good head on his shoulders, and he's like, 'You'll get back to where you were,' and made sure I was staying on top of my training," Biles said in the Netflix docuseries about her life, per TODAY.
"He was making sure I was going to my therapy sessions and was trying to do as much as he could, without kind of being bossy, but he was really just like a shoulder to lean on because he saw like those dark times after Tokyo," she continued.
Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens attend a game between the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers at Toyota Center on January 29, 2024 in Houston, Texas. Photo: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
Biles and Owens got engaged in 2022 and married in 2023
Owens and Biles announcedtheir engagementvia Instagram on February 15, 2022.
“THE EASIEST YES,” Biles captions her post. “I can’t wait to spend forever & ever with you, you’re everything I dreamed of and more! let’s get married FIANCÉ.”
In April 2023, Bilesrevealed she married Owensat a courthouse ceremony in a post,which you can see here. The next month, they had a lavish ceremony in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.“I think this is exactly how brides are supposed to feel,” Biles saidin aVoguevideo. “Luxurious, beautiful, kind of on top of the world.”
In October 2023, Biles tells TODAY that marriage has somewhat lifted the pressure on her gymnastics career."Gymnastics is just something I get to come in and have the privilege of doing,” she said.“I don’t feel like it’s the end all be all anymore, as before I kind of felt like that. Iget to go home to my husband, to my dogs, to my house and all of the things. So it feels really good.”
Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens of the Chicago Bears record a video on the field before Owens threw out a first pitch before a game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on April 13, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. Photo: Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
Is Jonathan Owens at the 2024 Paris Olympics?
It's a big year for both husband and wife. Owens signed with the Chicago Bears, and Biles headed to Paris. Owens got permission to take a break from NFL training camp to watch his wife compete.
“The Bears are actually granting him a couple days off from training camp, so he’ll be there, yes,” Biles said at a press conference following the final day of the gymnastics trials.“For just a short little time.”
“It’s these memories that we make that we’ll never get back so anytime we can show up for one another in support, we just get super excited because our schedules don’t align that much,” she added. “So whenever it does, it’s really important for the both of us to show up in support.”
"We respect the Olympics. That’s a big deal," Bears coach Matt Eberflus later revealed, per USA Today. "He’s supporting the one he loves the most. I think that’s so cool that he gets to do that, we welcome that and it’s going to be awesome." Owens will miss four practices to watch his wife.
RELATED:Jimmy Fallon’s Daughters Are Simone Biles Superfans
