The U.S. women’s Olympic gymnasts have been crushing their routines this week. In addition to Simone Biles becoming the most decorated female gymnast ever, on Tuesday the entire team won gold in the team competition. In the moments after the win was secured, NBC caught an adorable moment on camera—Biles and Suni Lee telling each other which TikToks they wanted to be sure to post.
“I want to do the chomping one,” Biles said, to which Lee replied, “Okay, I want to do the one that says, ‘Imagine if we didn’t win.'” The moment went viral, and fans couldn’t wait to find out which videos they were referring to. A few hours later, they had them live, and commenters expressed their congratulations and joy at finding out which TikToks they had been talking about.
“I was wondering which audios you and Simone were talking about, and I was hoping it was this one,” one commenter wrote on a snarky video that begins, “Everybody wants to know what I would do if I didn’t win?” The video then cuts to the women holding their medals as the voice declares, “Guess we’ll never know.”
TikTok is beloved by Gen Z. But in such a hugely inspirational and joyful moment, it’s fascinating to see the Olympians discussing how they will document it all online. Of course, the moment will be documented by news networks, websites, and social media users alike. Still, the gold-winning gymnasts seemed to want to speak for themselves in that massively important moment.
In a press conference, Biles spoke to the newfound freedom she feels the team has earned in more recent years. “They used to try to put us in a box. And they were like, If you weren’t like this, then you’re not going to be successful,” she said. “Now we can show off our personalities, really have fun,” Biles added. “But then also know that once we get on the floor, we’re going to put in the work, and we’re going to show the results. We don’t have to be put in a box anymore.”
It doesn’t seem like the fun she’s talking about is just on the floor, however. On the whole, team USA is outspoken online, with Biles leading the charge. On Friday morning, she even seemed to post a dig at former President Donald Trump. In a reshared set of side-by-side images on X (formerly Twitter) that show Biles clutching both her medal and her sparkling G.O.A.T. necklace on X, she wrote, “I love my Black job.” The post that has already amassed 22.9 million views.
These days, athletes and celebrities have every moment of their lives documented and scrutinized. Social media expert and founder of OutThinkMedia, Cindy Marie Jenkins tells Fast Company that the team’s use of social media is very Gen Z, in that they’re combatting that truth by being “in charge of their own narrative.”
Jenkins says, “By documenting their singular experiences in one of the most well-documented international events, they welcomed their followers into their story and shared their narrative before one was written by larger media outlets.”
She adds, “I’m sure they would have had interesting TikToks even if they lost since a strong social media presence is necessary for any career athlete, especially when you consider sponsorships and brand deals. But Biles and her teammates give their followers fun glimpses into the gymnast’s life.”
And fans can’t get enough of it. Whether Biles is posted Get Ready With Me videos or roasting the former president, her social media activity is going to be viewed by millions. And while she doesn’t shy away from controversy, it’s hard to do wrong when you’re the G.O.A.T.