Last year in Paris, Simone Biles, Hezly Rivera, Jade Carey, Suni Lee, and Jordan Chiles rose from the ashes of Tokyo and delivered in Paris. Team USA’s powerhouse lineup racked up 10 Olympic medals, 3 gold, 1 silver, and 6 bronze, cementing one of the most dominant comebacks in gymnastics history. With most of the squad stepping away soon after, fans assumed the dust had settled… until the latest Forbes 30 Under 30 list dropped. It sent shockwaves ripping through the gymnastics community.

Forbes has unveiled its annual 30 Under 30 list across multiple categories, but this year, the list raises an unexpected red flag for gymnastics. While athletes from other disciplines secured their usual representation, not a single gymnast made the U.S. Class of 2026. The omission is striking, especially given the sport’s history with the list. Past editions have spotlighted icons like Simone Biles, Suni Lee, and Livvy Dunne.

At the same time, internationally celebrated stars such as Carlos Yulo and Rhys McClenaghan have also earned recognition in previous years. It must be noted that all of the original participants from the Paris Olympics either stepped away or competed very sparingly this season.

Simone Biles and Suni Lee took a complete break in 2025, and even if they hadn’t, they still wouldn’t have been eligible for the Forbes list, as the magazine never features the same athlete twice in its 30 Under 30 selections.

Jordan Chiles delivered a strong year for the UCLA Bruins, securing the NCAA uneven bars title, marking her second consecutive national championship on the event. At the 2025 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championship under the leadership of Jordan Chiles, UCLA finished second overall. Beyond NCAA competitions, Chiles gained mainstream attention with her appearance on Dancing With The Stars, where she advanced to the finale; however, she ended the season in third place.

After her Olympic appearance, Jade Carey announced she likely wouldn’t compete in elite gymnastics in 2025; rather, she focused on competing under the lights of her collegiate career. At the 2025 NCAA Championship, the Olympic standout clinched the 4th position in all-around with 39.625, just few points shy of the third position. She finished her senior season with an impressive 51 event titles across 14 appearances.

Hezly Rivera opened her 2025 season at the Winter Cup, appearing only on balance beam, in which she finished ninth and 27th overall. She bounced back at the 2025 Pan American Championships, earning bronze medals in both the all-around and balance beam, while also contributing to Team USA’s gold-medal finish. Rivera was tracking as one of the year’s strongest prospects for the World Championship, but an injury unfortunately cut her 2025 season short.

While it’s true that no gymnast has been featured on the Forbes list of 30 under 30, it’s worth noting that Jordan Chiles appeared in an episode of Forbes Talks where she discussed the release of her memoir and was also validated for building a business outside the mat. It’s not like Forbes had completely discredited Chiles’ achievements. Chiles was also featured in the 2024 Forbes Power Women Summit alongside the likes of Gwenyth Paltrow, billionaire and entrepreneur, Tory Burch, etc.

Fans are frustrated that none of the Paris Olympic gold-medal winners were included in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Class of 2026. The complete omission has sparked anger across the gymnastics community.

Gymnastics community furious as Simone Biles and Co. fall out

This season was nothing short of exceptional for Jordan Chiles. Beyond being the heartbeat of UCLA’s lineup, she shone on national television with her Dancing With the Stars run and even earned recognition as a Times Woman of the Year. Yet none of those milestones factored into Forbes’ latest 30 Under 30 in Sports, and fans were quick to voice their frustration. One demanded, “Where the hell is Jordan Chiles? She belongs on there, smh.” Another echoed the sentiment bluntly: “This is disappointing.”

Chiles wasn’t the only gymnast fans rallied behind. Supporters of Simone Biles also stepped in, pointing out her dominance despite taking the season off. One wrote, “She has went 10 undefeated, she should never be snubbed off anything.” Still, as several fans noted, Forbes’s criteria operate differently. The list featured names from tennis, the WNBA, softball, and even rock climbing, but big gymnastics stars were absent for a clear reason: Forbes almost never repeats past honorees.

That rule automatically removes Simone Biles and Suni Lee from consideration, as one commenter reminded others, “Well, Biles was named before, plus she made another Forbes list anyway.” And another fan spelled out the criteria with complete clarity, “The list almost never duplicates. Biles won in 2017. Suni Lee 2022. Livvy Dunne 2024. Caitlin Clark/Angel Reese were also left off for this reason. Please do your research prior to posting something.”

With LA 2028 nearing and NCAA gymnastics surging in the NIL era, it’s quite shocking that the sport got such a snub. The fans may take up arms as a reaction to Chiles’ exclusion from the list. The truth remains that Chiles has been honored by Forbes time and again, for her business acumen or even for the resilience she showed while weathering the Olympic medal controversy.