Gymnastics Great Shawn Johnson Made Her Opinion of Simone Biles Extremely Clear

When gymnastics great Shawn Johnson sees Simone Biles returning for her third Summer Olympics, she's reminded of another great sports comeback.

"It's like [Michael] Jordan where he doesn't have to because he just is, but he is coming back no matter what," Johnson told Newsweek .

Just as Jordan came back to the NBA twice after retirement, Biles is returning back to the biggest stage after a major setback at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. The gold medalist decided to withdraw from the team competition amid mental health struggles, but remained committed to her career and earned a spot on the U.S. Olympics team headed to Paris later this month.

Though the 27-year-old Biles turned heads when she became the oldest U.S. gymnast to qualify for the Olympics since 1950, Johnson said she wouldn't expect anything less from the four-time gold medalist.

"I don't know how to say I was surprised and not surprised at the same time," Johnson said. "Not surprised because it's Simone and she's the greatest of all time, and she can probably compete for every Olympics for the rest of history.

"Not surprised because she's Simone Biles but surprised because she has nothing to prove. She is the greatest of all time."

Related: Simone Biles Reveals Moment She Decided to Withdraw From Tokyo Olympics in Powerful New Footage