Reese Esponda once posed for photos next to a life-sized cardboard cutout of Simone Biles. Years later, sick the week of the U.S. Classic and close to pulling out, she got a text from the real thing. “Controlled power is everything,” Biles told her, and the 17-year-old went on to win the meet. Now, as she faces the pressure of her first World Championships, Esponda explains in an interview with Inside Gymnastics how Biles’ advice and support have helped her trust her own abilities and feel more confident. 

Talking about how Biles has helped her confidence, Esponda explained why the Olympic champion’s support means so much to her.

“It’s really cool. I mean, she (Simone Biles) is the greatest of all time. So knowing that I have her supporting me and she’s telling me I’m good enough, I think I should trust myself and know that I’m good enough too,” Esponda said while talking to Inside Gymnastics. 

Biles’ support has helped Esponda believe in her abilities. Young gymnasts often face intense pressure during competitions, but Biles has given her another reason to trust herself and her training.

Their bond goes beyond training at the same gym. As someone who has faced high expectations throughout her career, Biles understands these challenges. The 29-year-old has won 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championships medals while facing immense pressure and scrutiny. It makes her experience invaluable for Esponda as she continues to improve and attempts to make a name for herself.

And this isn’t the first time the gymnastics superstar has sent Esponda a personal message. In fact, before the 2026 US Classic, Biles sent the 17-year-old a personal message, wishing her the best as she attempted to make a comeback from injury. 

Biles wrote, “Good luck at classics babe,” before adding, “Just believe in yourself. Use your power as an advantage. Controlled power is everything.”

The message came at an important time for Esponda. She had faced a difficult period before the competition, returning to full training only five weeks before the US Classic after suffering a ligament injury in her left foot. Not only that but the teenage star also felt unwell during the week of the event.

Despite these problems, Esponda won the all-around title at the US Classic. She scored 54.900 and finished ahead of two-time Olympic gold medalist Jade Carey. The victory became one of the biggest achievements of her young career.

Biles has also supported other gymnasts, including Jordan Chiles, who credited her with helping her continue the sport, and Suni Lee, whose confidence she restored after a difficult vault in 2024.

As Reese Esponda prepares for bigger competitions, believing in herself will remain important. However, Biles is not the only person helping her improve. She also shares a special bond with her teammates, which has further helped her debut worlds..

Reese Esponda shares a special bond with her teammates

Reese Esponda moved from Montana to Spring, Texas, in 2024 to train at World Champions Centre. Biles’ family owns the gym, which provides a high-level training environment for gymnasts. The move gave Esponda a chance to improve her skills as she moved into senior-level gymnastics.

Training in this environment also allowed her to learn from gymnasts with experience at major competitions. Not just learn but also support and make new friends from her teammates, while helping each other out during competitions.

“We had Hesley being such a good cheerleader for all of us, and Skye being the veteran on the team, just calming us all down. So I feel like with Skye, she really helped the whole team pull together. And we had Dosie step up. She didn’t think she was going to compete, so I’m really proud of her,” Esponda told Inside Gymnastics.

She also touched upon the US Classic trip, “Oh my gosh, yes. It has been such a fun trip. We make so many TikToks. Me and Charlie make a TikTok every night. All the girls are just so fun. We sit together. We have a lot of inside jokes at dinner and lunch. Um, so just everything about it has been so fun,” she added.

However, beyond enjoying her debut World Championships, Esponda is also focused on improving and has already pinpointed a few areas to work on.

“I wanna do my landings a little bit better,” Esponda explained. “I think I did my artistry pretty well today. I was working on my facial expressions a lot, so hopefully that showed. Just clean up all my landings, maybe fix my leaps a little bit more, point my toes.”

As Esponda continues to grow as a gymnast, this confidence could become one of her biggest strengths. Her skills will remain important, but believing in herself could also help her take the next step in her career.