“First of all, stop crying,”- When Simone Biles opened up about Lexie Priessman's encouraging nature while being terrified to learn new skill

Simone Biles once reflected on the incident when Lexie Priessman encouraged her to perform her most-dreaded skill, Tkatchev, on the balance beam. Biles struggled to master the complicated skill but her coach wanted her to execute it at the upcoming 2011 CoverGirl Classic, which played a crucial role in earning her qualification for the national championships.

Biles was able to perform the skill, but she failed to catch the bar consistently in her training sessions. Right before her uneven bars routine, she was sobbing in the bathroom when Priessman entered and saw her.

Priessman comforted Biles and shared a valuable insight asking her to release the bar earlier than expected, even if it felt too soon, highlighting it worked for her as well. Later, after following Priessman's advice, Biles nailed the skill for the first time in a competition.

Reflecting on the moment, in her autobiography, Courage to Soar, published in November 2016, Biles wrote:

“I keep falling on the Tkatchev. During warmups, I didn’t catch it a single time. I’ve tried everything, and it’s not working.” Lexie stood in front of me and put her hands on my shoulders. “First of all, stop crying,” she said. “And if it helps, I used to have a lot of trouble on Tkatchevs too. This is what helped me: just let go of the bar so early that you think you’re going to land on the bar. It’ll feel too soon, but just go ahead and do it. Works for me every time.” “Okay,” I said, willing, at that point, to try anything. “Now let’s go out there,” Lexie said.

Simone Biles missed competing in the uneven bars final at the 2024 Paris Games

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

Simone Biles competed in the initial round of the uneven bars but did not qualify for the final round after settling in ninth place. She was a “reserve athlete" for the event.

Biles had submitted a Weiler one-and-a-half skill to be named after her in the uneven bars at the French capital. However, she did not perform the skill after missing out on qualifying for the final round.

So far in her illustrious career, Biles has never won an Olympic medal in the event and has only once bagged a silver medal at world championships. However, after the Paris Games, she became the most decorated US Olympic gymnast.