It’s an understatement to say that the past two years have been particularly great for gymnast Simone Biles. She won, oh, a billion gold medals (that’s hyperbole but it feels right) in Rio, including the all-around gold and the team gymnastics gold with the Final Five, and she’s only 19, so she can compete in probably two more Olympics before she’s done and retired. Today, she got a serious shout out from a fan — none other than President Obama, who tweeted at Biles and her teammates as the Rio Olympics closed.
President Obama has been on vacation in Martha’s Vineyard with his family for the past few weeks, and I have to think that a lot of that time has been spent with the Olympics on the television. If you were the President and had just a modicum of downtime, how would you spend it? I would be catching up on my television and cheering on the country that I preside over in swimming, gymnastics, judo, track and field, etc. I bet that President Obama was watching gymnastics alongside his two daughters and wife, Michelle, and the President was probably just as amazed by Biles’ near-flawless performance as the rest of the country.
According to People, Biles received another honor of being the flag-bearer for the United States during the closing ceremony for the Rio Games. She wore Ralph Lauren’s stylish uniform, as Team USA did, and she did that flag proud. But before the ceremony, she admitted she was a little nervous. "I'm afraid the flag is going to be too heavy for me," Biles said in a press conference. "Because Michael Phelps is so much taller and he seemed to carry it so easily and I'm very short so I'm a little worried about that part but I think they'll guide me through it." I like to think that having her teammates alongside her helped her summon the strength on her 4’ 8” frame.
I would be beyond excited if I was Biles right now. I think her performance (along with the other gymnasts on the United States team) is worth a trip to the White House, wouldn’t you say? The team only has about five more months to get there, so the White House better extend that invitation soon. Congrats to Biles on all of her wins and for a shout out from the leader of the free world.
