Inside Olympic Gymnasts Suni Lee And Simone Biles' Relationship

Simone Biles and Sunisa (Suni) Lee have more in common than just their mutual love of gymnastics — they've both faced incredible challenges to become Olympic champions. Biles first caught the world's attention when she competed in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. She was only 19 at the time and made history when she bagged four gold medals. Close on her heels is Lee, who has proved she's a force to be reckoned with when Biles withdrew from the 2020 Olympics after having a case of the twisties — a phenomenon in which a gymnast loses their spatial awareness while flipping through the air. Lee took home a gold medal, becoming the first Asian woman and Hmong-American to win gold in the women's all-around.

Those in the know are aware of Biles' tragic backstory — she had a turbulent childhood and, like most gymnasts, she's suffered various debilitating injuries over the course of her career. As it turns out, her teammate Lee knows what it's like to overcome the impossible to make your dreams come true. After being diagnosed with kidney disease in 2023, Lee was almost certain that her Olympic dreams were about to be vanquished, but both she and Biles seem to have unmatched endurance that's led them both right back to the world stage at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

While they go head to head for gold, these two share a very special bond that no amount of pressure and competition has managed to break.

Thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 Olympics had to be postponed, and this was an incredible blow to the athletes who had worked tirelessly to ensure they were in top shape ahead of the Games. It was especially hard for Suni Lee, because it was set to be her first time on the world stage. She told Elle that she saw the news on Twitter after a practice session and burst into disappointed tears. "To have that taken away from us without having any control is very hard," she said. "I went through a depressed phase, and it was hard to get out of." The delay of the Olympics and her injuries that followed were behind the reason she almost quit gymnastics.

No one understood Lee's disappointment better than her teammate and friend, Simone Biles, and Lee credited Biles with helping her through this dark time. While the two couldn't meet up in person, they kept in touch, texting each other regularly. "She was there for me," Lee recalled, explaining that Biles was really the only person who knew what she was going through.

Despite her Olympic success, Suni Lee has faced plenty of tragedy in her life, most notably her father's accident in 2019. Houa John Lee fell off a ladder while cutting branches from a tree, suffering a spinal cord injury that paralyzed him from the chest down. He's been navigating life in a wheelchair ever since.

When Mr. Lee made an appearance on the "Today" show in 2021 after his daughter's historic win at the Tokyo Olympics, he was met with a big surprise from none other than Simone Biles. The hosts played him a pre-recorded video from Biles, in which she informed him that she and "Today" had partnered up to make his life a little easier. "Hi, Mr. Lee, it's Simone. I love your daughter, Suni, so much and I know how much she loves you," Biles started. "You have done so much for her so I reached out to my friends at the 'Today show' to see if we could do something special for you. Hope you like it." The surprise was a brand-new electric wheelchair, which could be customized specifically for him. Suni's father appeared to be completely dumbstruck and at a loss for words. "Oh my, that is awesome," he managed to say.

The electric wheelchair was a game-changer for Mr. Lee, whose son, Lucky, usually helped him get around. "It'll be a little different because now they don't have to keep pushing me around," he said.

Dropping out of the 2020 Olympic Games was not an easy decision for Simone Biles. She was all set to compete when a case of the twisties presented itself, leaving her utterly confused as to where she was in the air during her routines. This is not only scary but also incredibly dangerous, and she took to Instagram to speak out about her jaw-dropping exit from the Games to better inform people about her decision. "[I] literally can not tell up from down. It's the craziest feeling ever. Not having an inch of control over your body," Biles explained in an Instagram Story (via ABC News). "I simply got so lost my safety was at risk as well as a team medal," she continued.

Biles' withdrawal from the Olympics left Suni Lee with a rare chance to bag Olympic gold — and that's exactly what she did. But what was perhaps even sweeter than Lee's win was Biles' reaction to it. There was no resentment or jealousy, only praise. "CONGRATS PRINCESS," Biles posted on Instagram. "Absolutely killed it!!! OLYMPIC CHAMPION RIGHT HERE !!! So so so beyond proud of you!!!!"

Lee, on the other hand, could barely believe it. "It feels crazy, it is so surreal," she said (via Independent). "It's a dream come true. I don't even know what to say. It hasn't even sunk in. ... To be here and to be an Olympic gold medallist is just crazy."

What makes Simone Biles and Suni Lee's relationship so special is their camaraderie. Despite going head to head at the highest level, they support and raise each other up, and there doesn't seem to be the tiniest bit of bad blood between them. Having to compete against Simone Biles for Olympic gold must, at times, be frustrating, and Lee has even admitted that most gymnasts, herself included, are well aware that it's near-impossible to bag a gold medal when you're competing against Biles. She told Self that whenever Biles is competing, she tends to have the mindset of "Okay, now I'm just competing for second." She continued, saying, "Sometimes you don't think that you're even capable of winning anymore." She made it clear, however, that having a rival like Biles is what pushes her to be a better athlete every day.

In an interview with PBS, Lee said that while she has to compete against Biles, she's also her biggest fan and has been ever since she was a kid (via Essentially Sports). She also cited Biles as the reason for her unwavering determination to take home the gold at the 2020 Olympics.

Simone Biles has changed a lot since the 2016 Rio Olympics — she's older, wiser, and knows what it's like to make mistakes. This made her the perfect person to comfort Suni Lee during the 2024 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships when the latter made a mistake during one of her routines. Lee was supposed to do two twists but ended up managing only one and a half. After completing her routine, she took a moment alone to gather her thoughts, and Biles joined her to offer some comfort and advice.

"After Suni vaulted, I knew exactly what was going through her head. I dealt with that in Tokyo," Biles said during a press conference after the championships. "I just knew that she needs some encouragement and somebody to trust her gymnastics for her and to believe in her, so that's exactly what I did." Biles gave Lee a little pep talk, telling her not to overthink anything and believe in her abilities as a gymnast. She went on to support Lee during her bars routine.

"It was really nice having her in my corner and she's just been so supportive," Lee told reporters afterward, adding that having Biles giving her advice and cheering her on during her bar routine made all the difference. As the The Washington Post reported, Lee also remarked, "I don't think I could have done it without her."

In an incredible feat, Suni Lee and Simone Biles both made it to the finals of the 2024 Olympic Games — and made history in the process. It is the first time that two Olympic all-around medalists will face off in the finals. It was a close call — Lee had to beat teammate Jordan Chiles to land the spot in the final, and she managed to do so by a bare .067 points.

Facing off at the Olympics might just be another day at the office for Lee and Biles, but that doesn't mean they take any of it for granted. They allowed their fun side to come out and play after Team USA won gold in the women's gymnastics all around team final on July 30. Like true besties, they put their heads together to plan a fun TikTok video which was to serve as a little humble brag for their team's accomplishments.

Cameras managed to capture the sweet moment between Biles and Lee as they excitedly discussed video ideas, with Biles saying she wanted the team "chomping on the gold medals" for one of the videos. Lee agreed, adding that she wanted to do a video to Ye's (formerly known as Kanye West) 2005 Grammy acceptance speech, where he famously said, "Everybody wants to know what I would do if I didn't win. I guess we'll never know." Both their ideas ended up on TikTok and quickly went viral.