{
  "id": 311826,
  "title": "A Simone Biles text inspires Reese Esponda's gymnastics. So does her fairy box.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/08/a-simone-biles-text-inspires-reese-espondas-gymnastics-so-does-her",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-08T15:06:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/simone-biles-text-inspires-reese-150643857.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On July 19, Reese Esponda faced the U.S. Classic gymnastics meet in Phoenix, motivated by a text message from Simone Biles. Biles encouraged Esponda to believe in herself and harness her power. Despite being ill with a left foot injury, Esponda made a surprising and historic victory, becoming the youngest winner of Classic at the age of 17. Her win came as Biles, along with fellow 2024 Olympians Suni Lee and Jordan Chiles, were temporarily absent. Esponda's trainer, Stephen Lew-Imagn, noted that Biles often shared tips on controlling her power during training. Esponda's journey began when she saw Gabby Douglas win the 2012 Olympic all-around gold at the age of 3. She started gymnastics at a preschool class in Helena, Montana, and later joined the prestigious World Champions Centre (WCC) in Texas, where Biles was training for the Paris Games.",
  "summary": "Reese Esponda, a 17-year-old gymnast from Montana, made history at the U.S. Classic gymnastics meet on July 19 by winning the event, marking her first major victory. Her journey to this achievement was inspired by a text from Simone Biles, the seven-time Olympic gold medalist, who encouraged Esponda to believe in herself and control her power. Esponda, who had been struggling with a left foot injury, made her performance debut at the Xfinity U.S. Championships, scoring the highest tally by any woman on any apparatus. This victory is a significant boost for Esponda, who now has a chance to make the 2024 Olympic team, especially as Biles, along with fellow 2024 Olympians Suni Lee and Jordan Chiles, are absent.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}