"Her difficulty is so much higher than everybody else" - When Simone Biles' teammate opened up about her impact on their motivation

Simone Biles' teammate Suni Lee once opened up about how the former motivated her and the other team members. Lee and Biles have together represented Team USA at multiple competitions, including the 2019 World Championships, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and the 2024 Paris Olympics.

They both clinched a silver and gold medal in the team events at the Tokyo and Paris Games, respectively. Biles is one of the greatest gymnasts of all time, having collected multiple medals and routines under her name. Her talent and determination did not fail to catch the eye of her teammates, including Lee, who once stated that watching Biles perform difficult routines than other gymnasts motivated her. In 2020, Lee said, via Olympics.com:

“I find it very motivating because she's so good. Her difficulty is so much higher than everybody else's. So it kind of pushes me to bring whatever I can to the table and kind of push my difficulty, as well, because I want to be like Simone."

Lee also reflected on the 2019 World Championships, when she secured second place at the 2019 U.S. Women’s World Championships Team Selection event after following Biles.

“I kind of like the chase, as well. I didn't think that I could be second to Simone,” Lee said. “That's just so crazy to me.”

Simone Biles opens up on why she performs difficult gymnastics routines

Simone Biles of the United States during the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France. (Photo by via Getty Images)

Simone Biles once opened up about the reason why she attempted difficult skills. So far in her career, she has earned five gymnastics skills under her name on multiple apparatus. She has one gymnastics skill named after her on the balance beam, two on the vault, and two on the floor exercise.

Among these popular skills, Biles' most difficult skill was registered on vault, the Yurchenko double pike. The challenging move included the gymnast executing a round-off onto the springboard, followed by a back handspring onto the vault table, and a dismount with a double pike salto. She executed the complex skill for the first time at the 2021 U.S. Classic, but gathered a low score of 6.6 points.

When asked about why she performs these difficult routines during an interview with Teen Vogue in 2021, Biles replied:

“They don’t want the field to be too far apart. And that’s just something that’s on them. That’s not on me."

Keeping her answer firm, the gymnast said:

"Because I can."

Simone Biles showed confidence in her peerless skills, which were beyond the comprehension of the scoring system.