Li Li Leung has almost reached the end of her tenure as the president and CEO of USA Gymnastics. She’s going to step down from her role by the end of 2025. “The opportunity to lead USA Gymnastics has been the honor and privilege of a lifetime,” Leung expressed her true feelings earlier in June. Needless to say, USA Gymnastics has significantly developed under Li Li Leung’s leadership. The memberships have risen to go beyond 24,000 athletes, coaches, and gym owners during her tenure. But now, it’s time for a change.  

Leung is actively searching for a viable candidate to hand over her duties. But who can stand up to such a highly demanding role? Well, some of the fingers are pointing toward the queen of flips, Simone Biles. But is she really the best candidate for the role? Let’s find out!

Why Simone Biles is the next best entity to take Li Li Leung’s role?

There was a time when even Leung refused to take up the mantle of the CEO of USA Gymnastics. It was the time when the gymnastics world was haunted by the Larry Nassar case. Leung ensured that USA Gymnastics regained its former glory under her watch. But now, she’s acting as the advisor in the search for a successor to the CEO’s throne. So, why is Simone Biles the perfect candidate? 

According to Leung, it’s “beneficial” if the next president of USA Gymnastics were a gymnast. She claimed, “(They need) someone who understands sports and understands high-pressure environments and high-pressure competition, in order for that person to be successful.” And that’s where Biles can come in.

As someone who openly challenged the “entire system that enabled and perpetrated” Larry Nassar and his abuse, Biles has shown that she can take a stand for the right cause when necessary. 

And that’s exactly what Leung wants in the next CEO of USA Gymnastics. She wants someone who can make the environment an unwelcome place for “predators.” She wants to try and have zero tolerance against such offenses and create accountability in the role.

Now that Leung has successfully brought back the corporate sponsors that fled following the Larry Nassar case and built a partnership with NBC Sports, which is expected to go on till the 2032 Olympics, all she needs to do now is hand her role over to someone like Biles. 

Biles might be almost on the verge of retirement from being an active gymnast. Even her stance for the upcoming LA Olympics is fumbling. And after retirement, she can step into her 30s as the president of USA Gymnastics. Sounds cool, right?

But do you know what her stance is on retirement?

What does Simone Biles think of retirement?

Biles is currently 28 years old, and with each passing year, her recovery time and risk of injury will only rise. And that’s why she told Sports Illustrated, “Because I’ve accomplished so much, there’s almost nothing left to do, rather than to just be snobby and to try again, and for what? I’m at a point in my career where I’m humble enough to know when to be done.”

According to her, one will become greedy if they go back to competitive events. And there are consequences of doing so.

During her younger times, she’d have to sacrifice things like prom and college. But now, the sacrifices have a lot more meaning. Staying away from her husband, Jonathan Owens, or missing out on family time, etc., doesn’t seem like something that Biles wants to give up. 

She continued, “I don’t think the reality has set in of what I’ve exactly done in the sport. I can see it, and I hear it from people, and I see a glimpse of it, but the full magnitude I don’t think I’ve realized just yet. I don’t think I’ll realize ’til maybe I retire and look back in a couple years like, ‘Damn, she was good.’ Because I can see that, but I do it every day. So for me, it’s normal.”

So, if an opportunity to become the next president and CEO of USA Gymnastics presents itself, Simone Biles will most likely accept the role. However, we’d have to keep the portal open, since Biles had also hinted that she might return for the 2028 LA Olympics. For now, let’s leave it to time to reveal the next president of USA Gymnastics. But do let us know if you’d like Simone Biles to become Leung’s successor.