Simone Biles Helps Suni Lee After Fall at US Gymnastics Championships as She Returns From Kidney Stones Battle

Simone Biles helped Sunisa Lee through her vault mistake. Know what the Olympian said to get Suni out of her “twisties”

By Natasha Bose

Published on Jun 04, 2024 | 05:01 PM IST | 54.4K

Simone Biles helped Sunisa Lee through her vault mistake. Know what the Olympian said to get Suni out of her “twisties”

In this Article

What did Simone Biles tell Sunisa Lee?
Did Simone Biles ever face vault issues?

Reigning Olympic champion, Sunisa Lee had a pole mishap. Thankfully, 9th National title winner Simone Biles was there to help her through the troubles. Lee had a rough start, as she lunged for her fault.

Originally, Lee’s schedule looked like this: Pushing off the vault with both hands followed by two twists while in the air. But due to the stumble that made Lee lose her balance on the springboard for a second, landing too far back, she couldn’t complete her double twist in the air, completing just 1½ twists.

Simone Biles, with her keen observation, noted what had happened during Lee’s performance. Being a veteran in the field, she could immediately relate to Lee’s situation, hence when Suni, disheartened, started to walk towards the arena tunnel, Biles followed suit.

What did Simone Biles tell Sunisa Lee?

Once in the tunnel, the two Olympians had a quick but deep conversation. Biles confirmed with Lee whether she was feeling “lost” mid-air, and assured her not to overthink the problem.

Surprisingly, the encouragement did wonders, as Lee asked Biles to stay nearby as she performed at her next event. Lee talked about Biles saying, “Checking to see if I was okay mentally before I went out there, and she said if I was getting lost on my dismount, then to just be done and let it be.”

Thankfully, everything worked out with Lee up second on bars. She finished her routine confidently with a full-twisting double tuck.

“I don’t think I could have done it without her,” Lee credited.

Did Simone Biles ever face vault issues?

“I’ve been in her shoes,” said Biles, smiling. “I’ve done that exact thing. And I know how traumatizing it is, especially on a big stage like this.”

By mistake, Biles referenced her Tokyo Olympics team final vault mistake. Biles said she had the “twisties.” “Twisties” refers to a feeling of disorientation mid-air that leaves a gymnast feeling lost.

Biles attempted 2 and a half twists was incomplete, with her only being able to pull off 1 and a half. Lee's struggles were not the exact same, according to Biles. On Sunday night, Lee said that the mishap was more of a “fluke.”

“I just knew that she needed some encouragement and somebody to trust her gymnastics for her and to believe in her,” Biles stated.