Simone Biles Mistaken for Two Different Black Athletes in Single Day

Simone Biles is shedding light on a frustrating experience that unfolded over the weekend. The 29-year-old Olympic gymnast posted to her Instagram story on Sunday, July 12, describing how she was mistaken for two separate Black athletes in a single day.

"it's not even 6am and I've already gotten called Dominique Dawes 2x and Sha'Carri once," she shared alongside a sunrise photo, punctuating the post with laughing emojis.

Dominique Dawes, now 49, is a retired Olympic gymnast who represented the United States at three Summer Games—Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta in 1996, and Sydney in 2000. Her medal haul includes a team gold from Atlanta and bronze medals for her floor exercise performance in that same year, plus bronze finishes in the team events at both Barcelona and Sydney.

Sha'Carri Richardson, 26, is an Olympic sprinter who competed at the 2024 Paris Games. She captured gold in the 4 x 100 m relay and took silver in the 100 m. Richardson had also qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics but was unable to compete after testing positive for marijuana in a pre-competition drug screening.

This isn't the first time Biles has encountered this type of misidentification. In 2023, she called out a media outlet that published an article featuring her name but included a photo of gymnast Shilese Jones instead. Biles posted on X/Twitter at the time, saying "This picture isn't even me…….. try again." The outlet subsequently corrected both the image and the accompanying story across its platforms.

In recent weeks, Biles has addressed other developments in her life, responding to inquiries about her attendance at Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding. She has also responded to criticism regarding a vacation she took following a hospitalization, during which she revealed she had come close to a life-threatening situation.