Ask anyone when the year began which athletes would command the spotlight, in their sport and beyond, and Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka likely would have topped that list.
Biles, widely acknowledged as the greatest gymnast the sport has seen, was expected to leave the Tokyo Olympics with another haul of gold. Osaka’s title at the Australian Open in February was her fourth in nine Grand Slams, the kind of dominance usually associated with Serena Williams.