She may be one of the most decorated gymnasts in Olympics history, but when Simone Biles‘ boyfriend, Jonathan Owens, first met her, he had no idea who she was.

Biles and Owens have been dating since 2020. In July 2021, while she was in Tokyo for the 2021 Summer Olympics, Biles wished Owens a happy 26th birthday and promised to celebrate him when she was back in the United States. “here in Japan it is already my favorite persons birthday HAPPY 26th BIRTHDAY BABE. @jowens_3 I love you so much. Can’t wait to celebrate you when I get home! thanks for keeping me sane during the craziest times. an ear to vent too, someone to share fun times with and make the best of memories not sure how I got so lucky & what I’d do without you! But I hope you have the best day ever. Not too much fun without me tho hahaha forever yours, S,” she wrote in the caption.

Prior to her relationship with Owens, Biles dated gymnast Stacey Ervin Jr. for almost three years. She confirmed their split in an interview with Vogue in 2020. “It’s hard being young and having that long of a relationship and then ending it,” she said. “But it was for the best.” In 2017, she told Entertainment Tonight that she hadn’t had a boyfriend before her relationship with Ervin. “I have never had a boyfriend in my life. At 20 years old I feel like you should have gone through those things and gone on dates. I have been on like, maybe one proper date,” she said at the time.

So that’s recap on Biles’ past relationship. But what about her current romance? Ahead is what to know about Simone Biles’ boyfriend, Jonathan Owens.

Source: Instagram

Who is Simone Biles’ boyfriend, Jonathan Owens?

So who is Simone Biles’ boyfriend, Jonathan Owens? Like Biles, Owens is also an athlete. Owens, who is from Missouri, played football for his high school, Christian Brothers College, and in college at Missouri State University. Owens was recruited by the National Football League in 2018 and signed with the Arizona Cardinals. However, he suffered from a knee injury his first year and was put on the injured reserve list until he was released from the Cardinals in August 2019. In September 2019, Owens signed to the Houston Texans’ practice squad. He was then signed a reserve and future contract with the Texans in January 2020. He was signed to the active roster in December 2020. His jersey number for the Houston Texans is #36, and he’s 5’11.

Biles and Owens live together in Spring, Texas. Biles trains at the World Champions Center in Spring, while Owens practices with the Texans in Houston, which is just 26 minutes from where he and Biles both live.

How did Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens meet?

So how did Simone Biles meet her boyfriend, Jonathan Owens? Well, in an interview with Wall Street Journal in 2021, Biles revealed that she and Owens connected after she messaged him on Instagram. “He would say I slid into his DMs. I saw him, and I was like, ‘Oh, he’s pretty cute,’ so I said hi…and then I saw that he was in the Houston area, so we started chatting a little bit, and then we went to hang out a week or two later,” she said.

Biles also told WSJ that her sister pushed for her and Owens to get together and invited him to their family lake trip. After Owens met her family, he started to come around more and joined the Biles for weekly Sunday dinners, which is how their relationship started.

In Biles’ Facebook docuseries, Simone vs. Herself, Owens revealed that he had no idea who his girlfriend was when they first met. “Her work ethic was really the first thing that caught my eye,” he said. “I never really watched gymnastics before I first started talking to her. When I met her, I honestly didn’t know who she was.”

He continued, “The coolest thing for me is that I get to witness someone who is literally in the pinnacle of their sport,” Owens added. “It’s motivating to see that and the impact that she has on people. We were walking past this group of girls, and they were shaking, ‘Oh my god, it’s Simone!’ This is when I kind of knew. Like, okay, yeah, she’s the real deal.”

Courage to Soar by Simone Biles

Image: Zondervan.

For more about Simone Biles, check out her 2018 memoir, Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance. The New York Times #1 bestseller follows Biles’ life and career, from the field trip in her hometown that introduced her to gymnastics to her first Olympic gold medal in 2016. The book also explores Biles’ relationship with her faith, her time in foster care and the courageous steps she took to become the Olympic champion she is today. “I would hope I would inspire kids everywhere to know that you can do anything you put your mind to,” Biles writes in Courage to Soar.

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