Simone Biles retires, and USA Gymnastics crumbles: Worst showing in decades

USA Gymnastics posts weakest result since 2001 after Simone Biles era.

For the first time in 46 years, the U.S. men’s team outshines the women at a world championship.

Everyone knew it was coming eventually—but U.S. gymnastics still wasn’t ready for Simone Biles’ retirement. The women’s team’s lackluster performance at the Jakarta 2025 World Championships has set off alarm bells ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

Biles was the dominant force in gymnastics over the past decade. Across three Olympic Games—Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, and Paris 2024—she earned 11 medals, including seven golds.

Alongside stars like Aly Raisman, Nastia Liukin, Suni Lee, and Jordan Chiles, Biles helped Team USA go toe-to-toe with global powerhouses like China, Russia, and Romania, becoming a fixture on world and Olympic podiums.

But those golden days are fading fast. As Essentially Sports reporter Disita Sikdar notes, “In the recently concluded World Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia, Team USA Women had just two medals to their name.”

Concerns mount ahead of Los Angeles 2028

“For many years, the U.S. women’s gymnastics team had a strong core, with a legendary lineup,” Sikdar recalled. But with Biles retired and both Suni Lee and Jade Carey temporarily absent, that core has been decimated.

“The onus is now on the next crop of gymnastics hopefuls—with no clear successors,” Sikdar warns. With Los Angeles 2028 looming, the lack of rising stars is cause for concern among fans and experts alike.

While there’s still time to build a competitive team, the talent gap is evident. In Jakarta, Leanne Wong earned a controversial silver in the individual all-around, and Joscelyn Roberson took bronze in the vault.

Wong’s medal was expected given her Olympic experience, even though she was only a backup in 2020 and 2024. But the rest of the team fell short of expectations.

Men’s team outshines Biles’ successors

This marks Team USA’s lowest overall medal count for the women’s team since 2001—and the weakest showing at a world championship since 2013, when the U.S. sent its B team to Antwerp.

What’s most alarming to the gymnastics press? For the first time since 1979, the men’s team returned with more medals than the women’s.

This underperformance has shifted the spotlight to Roberson, Wong, Dulcy Caylor, and even the injured Hezly Rivera. Can they rise to the occasion before the 2028 Olympics? Fans are holding their breath.