Photos: YouTube Screenshots
Simone Biles said that it broke her heart to see an official ignore a young Black gymnast.
The athlete, 26, responded to a video in which an official passes over a young Black girl while awarding medals during a gymnastics ceremony in Dublin.
The clip, taken at a GymSTART event in March 2022, shows the girl waiting excitedly in the middle of a line of other gymnasts awaiting medals, all of whom are white. The official goes down the line, giving every girl except for her a medal.
After a user on X (formerly known as Twitter) reposted the viral video — which has garnered over 48 million views — another user replied, “I would love to see [Biles] reach out to this girl if she’s able.”
The four-time Olympic gold medalist responded, sharing that when the video was first circulating online, the girl’s parents actually reached out to her.
“It broke my heart to see, so I sent her a little video,” Biles wrote. “There is no room for racism in any sport or at all !!!!”
