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PITTSBURGH — Simone Biles simply wanted to mix it up when the gymnastics superstar invited some of the top American men to join her post-Olympic Tour.
"Bringing the guys on board was designed to show what men's gymnastics has to offer," Biles said. "And I just think that over the years, we kind of know the guys, but we don't really know them, know them."
That may be starting to change.
The U.S. men's bronze-medal breakthrough at the Paris Games — with pommel horse specialist Stephen Nedorscik's clinching routine serving as the exclamation point — has pushed into the spotlight a side of the sport that typically operates in the shadows.
While Nedoroscik, who went viral in the aftermath, parlayed his newfound fame into a gig on "Dancing With The Stars," Olympic teammates Frederick Richard, Brody Malone and Paul Juda as well as NCAA champion-turned-influencer Ian Gunther are spending most of the fall traveling across the country with Biles and fellow gold medalists Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera in a show that is part exhibition, part celebration.
The co-ed nature of the second iteration of the Gold Over America Tour — a not-so-subtle nod to Biles' status as the greatest gymnast of all time — has given the show a different energy than the first, which was entirely female-centric.
Biles praised Richard and company for getting out of their comfort zone and leaning into the performative aspect of the show, which required a lengthy string of 12-hour practice days to prepare.
"We took a risk by bringing the guys on board," Biles said. "But the outcome has been absolutely amazing. And you have the kids in the crowd chanting 'Ian! Ian!' 'Fredrick! Fredrick!' and that's just so cool."
The 20-year-old Richard's long-term goal has always been to make men's gymnastics matter, a daunting proposition in an era when support at the NCAA Division I level — the prime feeder into the U.S. Olympic program — has never been more tenuous.
There is an urgency to turn the splash of notoriety the men earned in Paris into something more sustainable. There have been early signs of progress, most notably an influx of young boys across the country rushing to join their local gym.
It's a start. So is spending two months barnstorming from coast to coast — the show hits Philadelphia on Friday and New York on Saturday — with newly minted bronze medals on their resume and a tacit endorsement from the face of the U.S. Olympic movement, particularly because their inclusion feels earned.
"It doesn't really feel like we are 'the pity case,'" Richard said. "It feels like (we) are on the same standard (as the women)."
That's by design, and also a nod to Biles' considerable influence. The 27-year-old has reached the level of stardom where everything she does — from watching her husband Jonathan Owens play for the Chicago Bears to what she shares on social media — can become news, whether that's her intention or not.
"I know if we do something, the attention will be there," she said. "But I kind of just ignore it and just go day by day. But I am aware that the attention that it does bring."
The 11-time Olympic medalist and first two-time all-around champion in more than five decades is taking her time before making any firm decisions about her athletic future. For now, she is focused on letting herself relax and enjoy this chapter of her life before moving on to the next one.
"I got to go to the U.S. Open (tennis tournament)," she said. "I got to go to my first WNBA game. It's like supporting people who have supported me, which has been really exciting because usually we don't have that time. And now that I have more time on my hands, it's been really fun."
She and Owens are planning to move into a home they built in the northern Houston suburbs later this fall. She is lending her image, her likeness and her foodie sensibilities to the "Taste of Gold" restaurant scheduled to open at Houston Intercontinental Airport early next year. She might even revisit the " Daring Simone Biles " series that initially premiered in the summer of 2022.
Biles would also like to return to the Olympics, or at least the Winter Olympics, after chatting up skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin. Just don't expect Biles to snap on a pair of skis and follow Shiffrin down the mountain.
"I can't stand the cold. I mean I have hand warmers right now in each pocket," Biles said with a laugh while pulling one out of the left pocket of her jacket as proof. "They're like, 'You have to go to a Winter Olympics.' And I'm like 'Do they have (luxury) boxes?' Because, you know, if they want to put me in a luxury box where it'll be warm, that'd be great."
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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
