Topline
American gymnast Simone Biles, looking to win the all-around gold medal at the Paris Olympics on Thursday and continue her reign as the greatest gymnast of all time, rakes in millions from various sponsorships with brands like Visa, gymnastics apparel company GK Elite and athleisure company Athleta.
Simone Biles made an estimated $7.1 million last year, mostly from endorsements. (Photo by Lionel … [+]
Key Facts
Biles made $7.1 million in 2023, according to Forbes estimates, with about $7 million of that total coming from endorsements and the rest directly from gymnastics, tying her as the 16th highest-paid female athlete in the world that year.
She has partnered with plenty of brands, including United Airlines, Visa, gymnastics apparel collection GK Elite and haircare brand K18.
Biles was the only gymnast to make the ranks of last year’s 20 highest-paid female athletes.
Biles had long been sponsored by Nike, but pivoted in 2021 to partner with athleisure brand Athleta following allegations by female employees that Nike had fostered a toxic environment for women—though Nike returned as a sponsor for USA Gymnastics in 2023.
Could Biles Win More Money In Paris?
Biles could earn thousands at the Olympics based just on medal winnings. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee awards $37,500 to gold medalists, while silver medalists make $22,500 and bronze medalists win $15,000.
News Peg
Biles will compete for Olympic all-around gold, the title she first won in 2016, on Thursday at 12:15 p.m. EDT, where she is the favorite to win once again but may face stiff competition from Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade.
Big Number
38. That’s how many combined medals Biles has won at the Olympic Games and world championships, the most of any gymnast. That includes her most recent medal, a team gold in Paris, and she’s a contender to win up to four more medals this week. This week’s team gold medal broke Biles’ tie with U.S. gymnast Shannon Miller to make her the most-decorated U.S. gymnast in history at the Olympics, with 8 total Olympic medals.
What To Watch For
Biles also qualified for the vault, balance beam and floor exercise finals, which will take place later this week. She’s a medal contender for all three: She qualified with the highest scores on vault and floor, and earned the second-highest beam score in the qualification round.
Further Reading
The Highest-Paid Athletes At The Paris Olympics (Forbes)
The World’s Highest-Paid Female Athletes 2023 (Forbes)
Simone Biles Toughest Competition At The Olympics? Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade — Here’s What To Know (Forbes)
Conor Murray is a reporter covering trends in entertainment and culture. He is based in Jersey City and joined Forbes in 2022. Murray has covered the messy rollout for Kanye West’s latest album, the Stanley water bottle craze and right-wing backlash against companies deemed “woke.” He previously covered billionaires with the Forbes wealth team and covered pop culture and TikTok trends for NBC News. He graduated with a degree in political science from the University of Pennsylvania in 2022. Follow Murray for continued coverage of social media trends, celebrity controversies and the movie and music industries.
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