The 4-foot-8-inch tall Olympian recently shared the awkward moment on Instagram.
The most decorated gymnast of all time recently experienced the equivalent of being carded for alcohol. A flight attendant mistook seven-time Olympic Gold medalist Simone Biles for a child and offered her a coloring book on a recent flight. The 25-year-old Greater Houston resident took to Instagram to share her disbelief following the embarrassing moment.
“Not the flight attendant trying to give me a coloring book when I board… I said ‘no I’m good I’m 25,'” Biles, who stands at 4-foot-8-inches tall, wrote in a caption of a photo showing her annoyed face. Afterward, another flight attendant offered Biles an alcoholic drink. “The other flight attendant gave me a mimosa so we’re in the clear,” Biles wrote.
Fans on Twitter sympathized with Biles, one person writing in a tweet that went viral with more than 160,000 likes: “I’m crying at the thought of a flight attendant giving Simone Biles the most decorated gymnast in history a coloring book because she is 4’8.”
Another tweeted: “I so get this. I’m 5’2”, my daughter is 5’0. What drives us craziest??? The people that say ‘You’re so cuuuute!’ And then they try and PICK YOU UP! I swear it’s the truth.”
Others said they would have taken up the flight attendant’s offer of a coloring book. “I would’ve taken it and then ordered a glass of wine,” one person tweeted. “I may be ‘too old’ for a colouring book but I definitely would’ve taken it,” another added.
The athlete appeared to be on a returning flight from her visit to the White House on Thursday, where she and 16 others received the 2022 Presidential Medal of Freedom. “Today, she adds to her medal count,” said President Joe Biden. “I don’t know how you’re going to find room.”
Biles, who has won 32 Olympic and World Championship medals, was honored not only for her athletic achievements, but also for her advocacy for “athletes’ mental health and safety, children in the foster care system, and victims of sexual assault,” the White House said. She is also the youngest person ever to receive the Presidential Medal, the nation’s highest civilian award.
After Biles received the award, she shared a photo of the moment on Instagram, writing: “I’m so honored and thankful to be recognized as a recipient by President Biden for this prestigious award. I still have no words. I’m shocked!” She also posted a photo of her and her fiancé, Jonathan Owens, standing outside of the White House.
