“It takes a lot of time to get prepped for something as big as the Olympics,” Laurie Hernandez said back in 2021. But what if we told you that the current USA Olympic team turned that notion on its head and made the impossible possible? This team, known as the “Five Phoenixes,” includes Simone Biles, who rose from the ashes of the twisties and even faced an injury yesterday on July 28th; Suni Lee, who is battling the storm of two kidney diseases; Jordan Chiles, who faced a series of unfortunate events, including injuries and personal loss; Jade Carey, who also grappled with twisties since years and was ill in the event on July 28th; and Hezly Rivera, who felt the weight of high expectations at 16.

Despite these hurdles, their performance at the Paris Team USA Olympic gymnastics qualifying event was a slam dunk. Scoring an impressive 172.296 points, they left their competitors eating their dust and proved that they’ve truly turned their trials into triumphs. Every gymnast at that time, whether new or seasoned, wanted to take the stage and loudly declare, “We support Team USA.”

Like all of us, Laurie Hernandez, the celebrated Rio 2016 “Final Five” star, was no exception. She was visibly impressed by Simone Biles, Suni Lee, and Jade Carey, among others. But after the event, it was a dream come true to see Laurie Hernandez, for real, and we saw her. She then sat down for an interview with EssentiallySports, sponsored by Olay Cleansing Melts, shortly discussing her skincare struggles during competitions and her current focus on vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, and a good cleanser. And then she shared pearls of wisdom and heartfelt advice.

Our reporter, Shreya Verma, caught up with Laurie Hernandez, the 2016 Olympic gold and silver medal-winning gymnast now offering her insights as a commentator at the Paris Olympics. During their conversation, Verma asked Laurie about Simone Biles and Jade Carey’s current struggles. As Verma puts it, “Not just Simone Biles But Jade Carey is ill and she is having her own challenges…….. If you’ve have through the injuries on the world stage yourself .., how did you and your team navigate these last-minute issues and external pressures?” Well, On July 28, Jade Carey battled through health issues to compete in the women’s gymnastics qualification round.

Carey has been feeling unwell and struggling to eat recently on Olympic all-around qualification. “I just have not been feeling well the past few days and haven’t been able to eat or anything,” Jade said earlier. Carey added, “I had no energy today and didn’t really have a sense of what was going on in my head. I wanted people to know there’s actually something wrong.” However, during her floor routine, her final tumbling pass ended with her landing out of bounds. But what was Laurie Hernandez’s response to this?

Laurie Hernandez further  shared with EssentiallySports, “I don’t recommend or encourage anyone to push through pain.” Back in 2016, Hernandez was a strong contender for an all-around Olympic spot after the trials, but an abdominal muscle injury significantly affected her ability to train consistently on the uneven bars, impacting her final selection.

Hernandez, 24, elaborated, “However, when you’ve worked so hard for eleven years before getting to the Olympics, and this is the moment when it counts, you’re going to work through a couple of injuries to ensure that you can show up for the team, the country, and yourself. Sometimes you just have to push through it; you can take care of it later. ” Well, she started gymnastics in 2005 at the age of nine and quickly turned heads with her impressive skills and physical abilities. By 2015, she was making waves, winning junior all-around titles at both the U.S. Classic and the U.S. National Championships. At the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2016, she finished second in the all-around behind Simone Biles, also winning the balance beam and placing third in the floor exercise.

She wrapped up the conversation with, “If it weren’t the Olympics, they would definitely take the time to recover, but sometimes that’s not an option.” And she’s right – what Biles has endured is nothing short of a masterstroke. After completing her balance beam routine on Sunday, it was evident that Simone Biles might have injured her ankle, a concern that was visible during her floor exercise warm-ups.

With her left ankle and lower leg wrapped with tape, Biles continued despite clear discomfort, stepping off the mat gingerly and sitting with her leg elevated. Despite this challenge, her performance was outstanding. After tightly securing the tape on her leg, she returned to the mat and tackled one of the most difficult routines, though she didn’t land it perfectly. Nonetheless, she scored a commendable 15.8 (6.400 difficulty, 9.400 execution) and celebrated with a triumphant “yay,” making the best of a tough situation and successfully avoiding a fall.

We can clearly see and say, Jade, Simone Biles has faced a lot of challenges, but Suni Lee’s journey is equally impressive after what she has gone through!!

Suni Lee and Simone Biles bouncing back stronger than ever

In February 2023, Lee began experiencing swelling in her ankles, which soon spread throughout her body, leading to weight gain at times, she was 40 pounds heavier than usual. She found herself unable to fit into her clothes, with her eyes swollen shut and severe swelling affecting her fingers, making it difficult to grip the bars. Initially thought to be an allergic reaction, Lee was later diagnosed with two rare forms of kidney disease, although she chose not to disclose the specific conditions to the media. Even at that time Hernandez also added that it is a “really scary” thought for any athlete to leave the sport you love!

This Suni Lee’s diagnosis forced her to end her collegiate gymnastics career at Auburn prematurely, after just a year and a half. During her time at Auburn, she was named the 2022 SEC Freshman of the Year, earned 10 All-America honors, and won an individual national championship on the balance beam. Then, in April 2023, Lee announced that her kidney-related health issues had prevented her from training and competing.  She acknowledged that her focus needed to be on her health and recovery. Despite these setbacks, Lee pursued her Olympic dreams for Paris 2024, noting that this challenging experience had sharpened her vision for the future. But what next?

At the recent Paris Olympics, Simone Biles truly stole the spotlight during the all-around qualification round. Despite battling a calf injury from a tough landing in floor warm-ups, Biles dazzled with the highest overall score of the day, finishing with an impressive 59.566. She secured her spot in the finals alongside her teammate Suni Lee, who claimed second place with a strong score of 56.132. What an incredible achievement!

Meanwhile, Hernandez also spoke about her partnership with Olay during the exclusive interview with Essentially Sports. She not only discussed the true meaning of skincare but also shared her own routine with her fans. “So I noticed, waking up and having a clean face, and a moisturized face, the Olay cleansing milk has been great.” She also added how the product makes her feel confident as she faces the world.

Stay tuned for more updates and interviews from us at EssentiallySports.