Suni Lee shares how Simone Biles saved her from panic attack on the night of winning gold at Paris Olympics

Suni Lee has opened up on how renowned gymnast and teammate Simone Biles helped her when she had a panic attack during the 2024 Paris Olympics. The incident happened just one night before the women’s team competition in Paris.

The Paris Olympics was Lee’s second Olympic appearance, having earlier featured in at the Summer Games in Tokyo. Meanwhile, Biles was set for her third Olympics after qualifying for Paris with her remarkable performance in the U.S. Olympics Gymnastics Trials, topping the entire field with a score of 117.225. Second to her at the trials was Lee, who secured a place in the five-member team, scoring 111.67 points in the all-around.

At the Paris Olympics, the United States team, including Lee and Biles, scored a combined total of 172.296 points, to comfortably qualify for the finals. However, just a day before the commencement of the finals on July 30, Lee experienced a mental breakdown and panic attack. As a result, her Olympic Village roommate and fellow gymnast Jordan Chiles decided to seek help from Biles.

Although Lee asked her to not disturb Biles, Jordan Chiles knocked on the door of the most decorated gymnast in the World Championships history, saying Lee needed support. Here is what Chiles told Simone Biles, according to Lee, during an interview with the multinational online women's magazine Glamour:

“Simone, Suni’s panicking.”

Following this, Biles immediately talked to the Tokyo Olympics all-around champion, helping calm her down.

“You need to walk around like you’re the reigning Olympic champion, and you need to own it. You need to remind yourself that you’re good enough, and you are on this team for a reason, ” Biles told Lee.

However, this isn’t the only time Lee has had a panic attack at the Olympics. The 21-year-old also experienced it during the Summer Games in Tokyo, where her coach calmed her down. She mentioned the same in an interview with KPRC 2 Click2Houston.

Simone Biles and Suni Lee’s contribution to the USA winning gold in all-around at Paris Olympics

Simone Biles and Suni Lee at the Paris Olympics 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

The United States fielded a team of four comprising Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, and Jade Carey, for the women’s team all-around finals at the Paris Olympics.

In the finals, Biles competed on all four apparatuses, while Lee performed on three apparatuses and didn’t feature in the vault event.

Their combined brilliance, also comprising Chiles and Carey’s efforts, resulted in the USA reclaiming their gold in the event as they achieved 171.296 points, much ahead of second-placed Italy (165.494).