Simone Biles says she thrives off of fear because feeling scared 'keeps the fun and joy in it'
- Simone Biles said fear motivates her during the "Simone vs Herself" Facebook Watch docuseries.
- Feeling "a little bit scared... keeps the fun in it," according to the five-time Olympic medalist.
- Biles reflected on fear's role in her career while discussing her epic Yurchenko double pike vault.
Simone Biles "has always thrived off of fear."
The five-time Olympic medalist revealed that feeling "a little bit scared... keeps the fun in it" as she continues to push the bounds of greatness in the final months of her illustrious competitive gymnastics career.
Her comments came during Episode 2 of her Facebook Watch docuseries, "Simone vs Herself," while discussing her mind-boggling Yurchenko double pike - a vault so dangerous that no woman had ever tried it in competition before her.
"I almost feel like I have an out-of-body experience," Biles said. "Because I'm like 'I don't know who that is and I don't know how she does that!'"
"But then again it's actually me doing it," she added. "And that's strange, too."
There's little question that Biles' terror-filled approach has worked out. The 4-foot-8 superstar gymnast has four Olympic gold medals, a record seven US Gymnastics Championships all-around titles, and more World Championships hardware than any other athlete in the history of the sport. She's arguably the most dominant athlete of all time - across all sports.
As the reigning all-around champion, Biles is set to dominate the Olympic Games this summer. But before she can complete her swan song in Japan, she'll have to compete at US Olympic Trials at the end of this month to officially punch her ticket to Tokyo.
Biles' qualification for the US's four-person Olympics squad is all but certain, but it remains to be seen which gymnasts will compete alongside her in Tokyo. During trials, she - and everyone else - will get a better idea of who will round out that group.
NBC is set to air the women's gymnastics trials on June 25 at 8 p.m. ET and on June 27 at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Check out the full episode of "Simone vs Herself" below: