As the Gold Over America Tour reaches its fifth stop, Simone Biles & Co. are about to be united with a very special venue in California. By now, the gymnasts have performed at various arenas across the country, 30 as part of the current tour itself. But something about the air of this location will remind Simone of her humble beginnings!

Situated west of Downtown San Jose, the gymnasts are gearing up to perform at the SAP Center shortly now. While this will probably take Simone on a stroll back 8 years down the lane, the grand center, ranking in the world’s top 10 list, also has a prominent NHL connection.

Simone Biles returns to the SAP Center after her 2016 U.S. Olympic gymnastics trials triumph

As Simone Biles returns to the SAP Center, she’s now the most decorated American gymnast with 11 Olympic medals and 30 from the Worlds stage. But in July 2016, she was just a 19-year-old, taking her Olympic qualification shot at the 2016 U.S. gymnastics trials. Her young age did not discount that she was already a three-time world all-around champion who stepped into the center hoping to qualify for the Rio Olympics.

Finally, after two days of relentless hard work, Biles put up a 123.250 on the board and satisfied the automatic qualification criteria to sail through to her Olympic debut. As fully sold out SAP Arena witnessed in awe, she posted the highest 2-day total and secured a comfortable win.

“It’s a moment I’ll feel forever,” reminisced Biles about when her name called out to step on the stage. After two days of feeling the jitters, this is probably when it hit her home that she was finally headlining the Rio squad. Of course, joining Simone Biles were elite gymnasts Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez, Aly Raisman, and Madison Kocian.

However, the SAP Center, located in the heart of Silicon Valley, is a multi-purpose hub and home to another extremely popular and loved sports franchise. Any guesses?

More about the SAP Center, home of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks

Home to the San Jose Sharks, the SAP Center is no stranger to a packed house, for it holds over regular season home games for the side. In fact, the hockey club is also the space’s managing tenant, and they are currently in talks over deal renewal for the next decade, so they retain the arenas.

In 1993, the side moved to the SAP Center, before which they played two NHL seasons at the Cow Palace. NHL may be the highlight, but via 150+ events annually, the arena has hosted Olympic athletes, Grammy winners, and some of the notable celebrities from across sports and entertainment categories. Namely, NCAA basketball events, US gymnastics events, and in fact, the 2023 Xfinity Championships starring Simone Biles were also held here.

But as of 2024, interestingly, the space has just touched the milestone of its 5000th event—the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus—in the year that marks its 31st anniversary. What do you think of Simone Biles’ nostalgic return to the SAP Center? Share your thoughts below!