Simone Biles’ NFL-star husband Jonathan Owens has been slammed by fans for wearing her Olympic gold medal in a loved-up photo on Instagram.
Biles helped USA land its first gymnastics gold of the Paris Games on Tuesday, when they saw off Italy and Brazil in the teams final with an impressive winning score of 171.296.
It goes down as America’s first victory in the event since 2008, with the likes of Sunisa Lee and Jordan Chiles also inspiring them to the historic win in the French capital.
For Biles, though, the gold-medal triumph marks a return to the pinnacle of the sport for a gymnast considered by many as the greatest of all time – and there could well be more to come in the all-around, vault, balance beam and floor exercise events.
Yet following her first success in Paris, fans have been left fuming on social media after Owens – Biles’ husband of the last two years – was seen proudly wearing her medal on Tuesday night.
In a post celebrating his wife, the Chicago Bears safety posed next to her with the gold around his neck and wrote: ‘Witnessing history every time you step on the mat – Congrats baby on becoming the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history!!!! Just wow!!!! 8 of them!!!!! So thankful I was there to see it’.
Owens is out in Paris Biles this summer after being granted time off from practice with the Bears to watch Biles in action.
She showed her appreciation for him by commenting: ‘means the world you’re here’.
But despite his heartwarming words, Owens has been blasted by fans online for his ‘odd’ behavior in wearing the medal.
One wrote: ‘You do realize that is not your medal… right?’
Another put: ‘But why are you wearing it? How odd.’
‘I knew he was gone wear her medal like he won it,’ said a third user.
A fourth commented: ‘That’s Simone’s gold medal you’re holding, not yours my guy.’
While one simply told him: ‘give the medal back bby thats not yours’.
Owens not only received criticism for his medal-wearing antics, however.
Fans were also quick to reference an infamous 2023 interview in which he claimed to have not known who Biles was when they first met on a dating app.
Having insisted that he is the ‘catch’ in the relationship, Owens said about their initial encounter: ‘I didn’t know who she was at the time, but the first thing that I saw was that she just had a bunch of [Instagram] followers. So in my mind, I’m like, “OK, she’s got to be good.”‘
And the football player was reminded of those comments after donning his wife’s Olympic gold this week.
One user said: ‘but you didn’t know who she was right?’
Another wrote: ‘Do you know who she is now? Lmao’.
While a third posted: ‘Now he knows bout gymnastics’.
