A truly remarkable World Gymnastics Championship week saw exceptional performances by Simone Biles this month. Biles cemented her status as the undisputed G.O.A.T in gymnastics with her record-breaking 37 Worlds and Olympics combined medals. With Biles, the US team won their seventh straight team gold leaving Brazil and France behin. Likewise, Leanne Wong’s consistency and skills at the World Championships have certainly contributed to Team USA’s remarkable success.
Additionally, an unexpected turn of events put Wong at the center of attention. With incredible camaraderie, Leanne stepped up and performed on the vault and floor when her teammate Joscelyn Roberson had to step out of competition due to injury. The American gymnasts held up higher standards throughout the championship. A glimpse of what went down behind the scenes in thick of action was exclusively revealed to our team recently. Leanne opened up about how hectic it was for her. Now, she has revealed what it’s like for Simone Biles!
In a recent exclusive interview with Essentially Sports, Leanne Wong asked, “Whats the most surprising thing about Simone that people don’t know? Like if I were to get to know Simone Biles, what would surprise me?” The Kansas-born gymnast replied, “Simone Biles is incredibly talented and has 30 World Championship medals under her belt, but she’s still human.”
Through Biles’s decade-long elite commitment to gymnastics, she has often shown incredible tenacity. This unwavering quality is demonstrated in her comeback to the competitive scene following a two-year professional break. Wong added, “Simone still gets nervous, makes mistakes, and gets tired like everyone else. Everything she does looks effortless, but all her success doesn’t come without a lot of hard work.” However, many critics were quick to label her a “quitter” since her event withdrawal during the Tokyo Olympics.
Wong made a rather unfamiliar revelation to ES saying, “ I have had the ‘Twisties’ and they are a gymnast’s biggest nightmare.” For a gymnast, losing control of their body may be a terrifying stage in their career, she said. Having entered the senior league joining Biles, the 2021 Worlds all-around silver medalist was quick to back her teammate. While the internet-fueled injustice posed on Wong, both gymnasts were busy leaving the spectators in awe of their performances.
Simone Biles and Leanne Wong’s twin impression moment
Leanne Wong’s act was anything but ordinary gliding through the air captivating the 12,000-strong audience at the 2023 U.S. Gymnastics Championships in San Jose, California. At the same venue, Simone Biles won her eighth U.S. Championship, setting a record.
Biles’s highlight came on the vault, as she performed the Yurchenko double pike three times without error. Only Biles has been able to execute the difficult move in competition. No other woman has been able to do it!
Seated at the front row, judge Shari Mann, shared her amazement after evaluating their thrilling performances during the World Championships selection camp. Mann said, “Watching Simone come back from her break and perform the way she did was just phenomenal.” She further added, “Leanne Wong hit 18 for 18 routines in the competitions… Just to get a front row seat to watch some awesome gymnastics is just amazing.” Now, hitting the high road the next act of brilliance will capture gymnasts performing at the much-anticipated Summer Olympics in Paris next year.
