When Simone Biles met Snoop Dogg
As the cream of the world’s athletes gathered in the French capital, the Games began with an opening ceremony that caused furore with its highly unusual and controversial tableaux.
However, the controversy was soon replaced by awe at the athletes’ prowess as the Summer Olympics got underway.
Repeat Olympians taking part included British tennis legend Andy Murray, 37, who said a tearful goodbye when he retired from tennis following his defeat with doubles partner Dan Evans on Thursday.
Murray remains the only player to have successfully defended an Olympic men’s singles tennis gold medal at two consecutive Games with his wins at London 2012 and Rio 2016.
Simone Biles medals
US gymnast Simone Biles, 27, made a triumphant return to the arena by winning the all-round Olympic gold medal, fending off silver winner Rebeca Andrade, 25, of Brazil, in a closely fought battle.
Before Paris 2024, Biles was already the world’s most decorated gymnast, winning nine Olympic golds and 30 World Championships. Now, she has added a new record to her tally by becoming the oldest female gymnast in 72 years to win an Olympic gold medal.
Her return to the victor’s podium has been particularly remarkable, since she had to withdraw from the 2020 Olympics after suffering what gymnastics call “twisties”. A highly dangerous condition, it causes athletes to lose awareness of where they are in the air during complex moves, making them struggle to land and putting them at risk of fatal injuries.
As she recovered from the illness, Biles became a champion of mental health awareness and has been lauded for her bravery and openness. She remained out of the sporting limelight and spent two years recovering following Tokyo 2020.
She allowed Netflix to make a documentary, Simone Biles Rising, about her long road to recovery to inspire others.
There were plenty of tears of joy after her triumphant return to win the Olympic gold last Thursday, when she made an eleventh hour change to her routine to include the high-risk Yurchenko double pike vault, which she executed to near perfection.
Celebrity faces
Many celebrities have been showing up to support Biles on her incredible Olympic journey, such as legendary actor Tom Cruise and music icons Ariana Grande and Snoop Dogg. In fact, the 52-year-old US rapper, actor and record producer has become one of the unexpected stars of Paris 2024, as he accompanies Mike Tirico, NBC’s Olympics host, during coverage of the Games.
As NBC’s special correspondent, he has done just about everything aside from taking part in the sporting events! After carrying the Olympic torch through the Paris streets before the opening ceremony, he also enjoyed a synchronised swimming session with former Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps.
For Snoop Dogg, Olympics commentating has added a whole new realm to his celebrity status, as his comments have been trending all over social media, with the public loving his style.
Famous meetings
While at the Games, Snoop Dogg has also renewed his friendship with Simone Biles, after first making her acquaintance 14 years ago, when she was a 13-year-old fan of his music.
When Simone Biles met Snoop Dogg in 2010, he was already a global superstar, while she was a brilliant young gymnast, who became one of the US junior elite at 14, coming third at the 2011 American Classic gymnastics championship in Houston. However, their first meeting didn’t go as well as Biles had hoped – something her mum Nellie brought up when she spoke to Snoop Dogg during a live TV interview at the Paris Games!
Being interviewed on the Today show by anchor Hoda Kotb, the rapper was asked about his meeting with the young athlete in Times Square in 2010. In a light-hearted exchange, Kotb brought Nellie into the interview, reminding Snoop of the occasion.
Nellie joked with the rapper that she and her daughter had spotted him and asked for a photo with him. She reminded Snoop of his reply, telling viewers, “I will never forget when we met you in Times Square and you said, because we asked for a picture, ‘two minutes’! One, two and you were gone!”
Looking a little perplexed, the rapper obviously decided to do something about his hasty exit 13 years earlier.
Simone Biles tribute
Snoop made amends after the light-hearted exchange on the Today show by having a special t-shirt printed, with Simone Biles’ photo emblazoned on the front, to the delight of viewers.
During his next appearance for NBC, he wore his usual patriotic outfit of an American flag jacket during the women’s gymnastics competition, with the addition of his Simone Biles t-shirt!
Later, media reports showed Snoop wide-eyed and astounded at Biles’ amazing gymnastics performance as he watched with the crowd, even removing his trademark sunglasses to get a better view, with a look of pure awe on his face.
He proudly flashed his Simone t-shirt for the cameras in a public display of support to dispel the embarrassing memory that he had snubbed the young star and her mother in Times Square all those years ago!
It was later revealed that Biles had been battling a calf injury, making her gold medal-winning Olympic performance all the more astounding.
