Simone Biles Wins Best Athlete at 2025 ESPYs — Not Everyone Agrees

Olympic champion gymnast Simone Biles was named Best Female Athlete at the 2025 ESPYs on Wednesday night, July 16. The announcement sparked a flurry of reactions online, with fans both celebrating her win and questioning the decision.

Biles, an 11-time Olympic medalist, was excited to win the Best Female Athlete at the 2025 ESPYs. “That was very unexpected, especially in a category of all men,” Biles said after kissing her husband, Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens. She beat out Stephen Curry, Freddie Freeman, and Rory McIlroy for the award.

Biles also claimed the night’s first award, Best Championship Performance, for her standout showing at the Paris Games, where she earned three golds and a silver while helping Team USA secure its first team title since 2016.

While her wins for Best Female Athlete and Best Championship Performance came as a surprise to some, her fans felt the accolades were well deserved. One fan couldn’t hold back their pride, writing, “Biles is a true American icon. Congrats to such a powerful woman. She’s an inspiration and the very best of American exceptionalism.”

Another supporter declared, “Simone Biles is without a doubt the best athlete in the world. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a racist coward.” Messages of admiration continued to roll in, with one user sharing, “Congrats Simone! Well deserved. Inspiration to many, and a story of resilience and endurance.”

However, not everyone was on board with the decision. One comment simply read, “Should’ve been sydney mclaughlin [sic].” Someone else echoed this sentiment, “Obviously should have been Syd [sic].”

Another fan had a different name in mind, writing, “Should have been Caitlyn Clark!!” Frustration over the outcome was also voiced in this reaction, “Absolutely rigged that was Rory’s award lol [sic].”

Still, plenty felt Simone Biles was the obvious choice. One person celebrated her legacy by stating, “Best female gymnast of all time!! Well deserved!!! Every single year that this award is put out, she should be nominated.”

As her major career wins spark widespread reactions, Biles’ personal posts are also drawing public attention. Recent vacation photos prompted speculation from social media users, who noticed something different and were quick to guess what it might mean for her career.

On Monday, July 7, 2025, Biles shared a post on Instagram featuring photos of her recent getaway to Belize with husband Jonathan Owens.

The images set off a frenzy of comments from fans, speculating about the Olympic gymnast’s body and whether she’d gone under the knife for a breast augmentation.

Biles gave her post a simple caption: “gone to belize [sic].” The photos showed her in a brown and black bikini with geometric patterns, paired with thick-rimmed black glasses, and a drink in her hand garnished with a pineapple wedge.

In one of the pictures, she’s joined by Owens, bearing a big grin and oversized sunglasses. The bikini top shows off the Olympian’s bust, visibly bigger than in recent pictures from early 2025.

Biles disabled the comments in her post. However, after Page Six posted about the rumors on Instagram, users rushed to the comments section to speculate about her potential cosmetic surgery, as well as the possibility of her retirement.

“Umm…I think it’s obvious she did, but it’s her life! I hope it doesn’t affect her career?,” wrote one fan on Instagram. “So she really really retired. 😢 She looks amazing and confident. 😍,” commented another.

Many users were extremely confident that she’d undergone a procedure. “No speculation, the new girls look fabulous! 👏👏,” said one user, while another simply declared: “Yep, a boob job!!!!“

TMZ and the Daily Mail also posted about the rumors on their Facebook pages. In the comments, one user wrote: “Look at a before and after. Exhibit A and exhibit D. It’s pretty obvious,” while another jokingly asked, “Looking for extra bounce in her game?“

Some users took the surgical enhancement as a given, choosing instead to focus on speculation about its impact on her career.

“I’m guessing she officially retired!,” wrote one user. “That’s one way to tell us you’re retired… lol,” added another user. “She ain’t never gonna flip the same,” commented a third user.

In the same vein, a user wrote that “Those will make back flips REALLY hard to do!!!!!” while another noted that “(…) it’s her body she does whatever she wants. I have to say if opt this move you are done competing at Olympics. [sic]“

One user wrote on Facebook, “Who cares she looks great but this is definitely a sign that retirement from gymnastics is uploading lol,” with another adding, “Up to her if she has .Can’t blame her after having to stay so thin to be a gymnast [sic].”

So far, Biles has not commented on the rumors about her body or career.