“Going to Watch Greatness”: Simone Biles and Laurie Hernandez’s Iconic Friendship is Elevating Gymnastics to New Heights

Get yourself a Simone Biles in your life. This isn’t a quote, but just a public disclaimer. Biles has been a ride or die for all of her teammates. Be it coming in clutch for Aly Raisman or standing up for Suni Lee recently or even supporting Jordan Chiles, she’s done it all. There are very few tales of pure friendship that are brewed inside the gymnasium. Simone Biles and Laurie Hernandez’s bond would be right up there on the list. The duo met as part of the same team and won the team gold in the 2016 Olympics. While Biles also secured an individual gold, Hernandez was content with silver. However, even as Hernandez bid adieu to professional gymnastics, the friendship between the two only grew stronger by the day. While Simone Biles received a lot of backlash at different stages of her career, Hernandez was there to support her in the darkest times. 

And now, when Simone Biles is flying high on confidence, Laurie Hernandez has expressed her prediction for her Paris dreams. After impressing with a victory in her comeback at the 2023 Worlds, Simone Biles followed it up with consecutive victories in Core Hydration Classics and the US Gymnastics Championship. Quite expectedly, the one smiling the broadest is Laurie Hernandez. 

Laurie Hernandez and Simone Biles are two peas in a pod

Sitting down in an exclusive interview with People, Laurie Hernandez seemed quite confident about Simone Biles. Speaking right after Biles’ stupendous US Championship victory, Hernandez was sure about Biles’ qualification to Paris. She echoed a similar sentiment as Hernandez stated, “She’s just a surefire for Team USA [in Paris], to know that she’s going to go out there and be consistent. Her difficulty is so high, and she really is one of the best. You can count on her. You know you’re going to watch greatness when her name pops up.” 

And well, Hernandez has every reason to be so confident about her friend. Biles not only won her ninth US Championship, but did so in style. Accumulating a total of 119.750 points, Simone Biles clinched gold in every discipline she participated in. Thus, when asked about whether Biles’ age would prove as an obstacle, the US gymnastics queen said, “I use the phrase ‘aging like fine wine.’ It’s just getting better and better. We’ll see. Hopefully we get to ride this out for the rest of the year.” 

While Biles has become the epicenter of attraction in US gymnastics, she hasn’t forgotten her friend Laurie Hernandez. Similar to how Hernandez supported her, Simone Biles, too, extended her support for Laurie and even had a reunion recently. 

Simone Biles once prayed for Laurie Hernandez

Back in 2016, Laurie Hernandez, the superstar gymnast from the ‘Final Five’ team, wanted to get into ‘Dancing With The Stars.’ However, once she got her ticket into the show, Hernandez freaked out about performing in heels. To comfort her, Simone Biles took up the role of being her guide and helped Hernandez overcome her fear. Biles also prayed while her teammate performed. Biles said, “So every time she goes out, we’re praying for her.” 

Recently, Biles caught up with her long-time friend Laurie Hernandez and posted a heartwarming video on TikTok. Captioning the video, “rounding up some of the gym girls,” Biles, Hernandez and Aly Raisman were seen performing to the tunes of Lovin on Me by Jack Harlow. Thus, as Biles prepares for her Olympic Team Trials from June 27, her strong bond of friendship is sure to elevate her game and provide her with the much-needed boost to overcome any challenge that stands in her dream for Paris.