Miami

Danell Leyva's Olympic Inspiration? Simone Biles

When Danell Leyva was about to win his second silver medal of the Rio Olympics, he had a famous fan cheering him on from the tunnel of the stadium.

Simone Biles was in the middle of an interview about her 4th gold medal in Rio when she noticed Leyva on a nearby TV screen.

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Biles pulled away and unleashed her trademark smile as the gymnast from Miami nailed his routine on the Horizontal Bar.

"He got second. That's awesome!" Biles shouted.

Then she and teammate Aly Raisman started clapping for Leyva.

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When NBC 6 told Leyva about the support from Biles, he said "that's amazing."

And then he revealed something that might surprise you.

"She's a role model to me," Leyva said of Biles. "It's an inspiration to watch her do her gymnastics the way she does."

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Leyva even watched Biles compete in order to prepare for his own events.

"I was just trying to emulate her persona and the way she approaches her events," Leyva told NBC 6. "You can tell that she's enjoying herself out there and that's what I was trying to do."

"It really has helped."

And Leyva has 2 brand new silver medals to prove it.

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