Maame Biney Is Speed Skating’s “Smiling Assassin”

It’s not often you come across an athlete dubbed the “smiling assassin,” but the moment Maame Biney’s face lights up a Zoom call, it’s clear the nickname is well earned. Her smile — contagiously big — belies the fact that the 22-year-old slashes her way around the ice at 30 miles per hour for a living.

At 18, Biney became the youngest person and first Black woman to make a U.S. Olympic speed skating team ahead of the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, and from there, she’s been pretty nonstop: In 2019, she won her first World Cup medal, and in 2021, she swept the U.S. Championships with golds in the 500, 1000, and 1500 meter races. This week, she’ll be making her second Olympic appearance as the veteran of the team, racing in the 500 and 1000 meter individual races, and the 3000 meter relay.

But outside of competition, the short track speed skater is all smiles. “You don't always have to be super serious,” she told Bustle last month. “If you can't enjoy what you do, what's the point of being there?” Her vibe is all about having fun on the ice, describing herself as the “laugh person” of the 11-member team. “It tires me out so much. I'm just like, dude, let's chill for a second, please,” says the Ghana native, who moved to suburban Virginia at age 5. “I like to be that person where [my teammates] are like, oh man, I have this funny joke. Who would laugh at it? Oh, Maame.”

She credits her rink-to-real-life personality switch to the creation of an alter ego named Anna Digger. Ahead of the 2018 Games, one of Biney’s teammates noticed that she looks “completely different” when she skates — transformed into a power athlete for whom every miniscule decision could earn a coveted hundredth of a second advantage. “I think Anna's always been inside of me,” says Biney. “She was first an email address, honestly, which I made when I was 8 because I was very suspicious of people and didn't want to make an email [with] my real name.”

Biney is speaking from what is essentially a Team USA lockdown bubble before heading to Beijing. “Right now, it's actually really scary because we have to get tested every day. If we test positive, we're done. We can't go [to the Olympics], which would be extremely heartbreaking,” she says. (Already athletes are testing positive, like bobsled pilot and Team USA’s flag-bearer Elana Meyers Taylor.)

When she thinks about representing her country in Beijing, Biney looks to Black women who’ve dominated in predominantly white sports. “Serena Williams is 100% my No. 1. She’s a Black woman in a sport that tried to tear her down — Venus too,” Biney says. And of course, Simone Biles. “I've always admired her because she is super strong and actually amazing, but [after] this past summer, I was just like, ‘Holy wow.’ I was like the star emoji, you know, with the eyes,” she says mimicking flashbulbs with her hands.

Of her own path, she says, “It means a lot that I am the first Black woman to make the team. It means that I’m able to inspire young girls, young Black girls especially, whether it’s to try speed skating or another sport that’s predominately white. I want to show them that they belong.”

Before she hits the ice on Feb. 5, learn more about Biney below and follow her on Instagram, where she is characteristically all smiles.

In The Bustle Booth

What's your coffee order?

Not big on coffee — more Red Bull.

What are the saved weather locations on your phone?

Salt Lake City and Reston, Virginia — and currently, L.A.

What’s your sign?

Aquarius.

Favorite overused movie quote?

“Sharing tea with a fascinating stranger is one of life’s true delights” from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

What was your favorite cartoon as a kid?

Avatar: The Last Airbender.

What’s one song you're currently obsessed with?

“151 Rum” by JID.

Who is your celeb idol?

Serena Williams.

If you had to be on a reality TV show, what would it be?

The Bachelor. I want to be the girl who causes chaos.

Go-to karaoke song?

“Diamonds” by Rihanna.

What’s something that’s inspiring you lately?

Myself!

What is something you would want people to say about you?

That I made a difference in their life, to help them through their problems or inspire them.