Simone Biles has shared an awkward mishap that occurred on a recent flight, where she was mistaken for a child.
Now, Simone Biles is one of the most decorated gymnasts in history…
And Biles has had quite the journey to reach this point in her career.
At the young age of just 3, Simone was frequently taken into foster care as her biological mother, Shanon, struggled with drugs and alcohol.
She was later taken in by her grandparents, who helped her pursue her dream of becoming a gymnast.
As well as this, Biles has also faced extreme trials and tribulations in her sport. One of which is the s*xual abuse she suffered at the hands of Larry Nassar.
Nassar was arrested in 2016, but it wasn’t until 2018 that Biles went public with her story.
Although she has been dealt a difficult hand, this hasn’t stopped Biles from achieving great things…
Over the course of her gymnastics career, she has won a whopping 25 world championship medals and 7 Olympic medals for Team USA.
It’s this strength of character that elevated Biles to the 2021 TIME list.
She was also recently awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on July 7, making her the youngest ever recipient, just to add another incredible feat to her resume.
However, despite her achievements, people don’t always recognize her when she’s out in public…
And her small stature can make things a little awkward for the athlete. So much so, that she recently got mistaken for a child on a flight.
She took to Instagram to share the ordeal, writing: “Not the flight attendant trying to give me a coloring book when I board… I said ‘no I’m good, I’m 25.’”
Thankfully, a second flight attendant made up for it, Biles added: “The other flight attendant gave me a mimosa so we’re in the clear.”
It didn’t take long for her post to go viral after YouTuber, Matt Bernstein, tweeted her story: “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,” he wrote.
His post quickly racked up 160k likes on Twitter, with many taking to the comments section to share their thoughts on the awkward mishap…
One wrote: “Some flight attendant went to the back and said to a colleague, ‘I’m so embarrassed, I just offered a coloring book to an adult!’ And the colleague went, ‘um, not just *any* adult.’”
Another said: “Not the coloring book to Presidential Medal of Freedom pipeline,” while a third commented: “I would’ve taken it and then ordered a glass of wine.”
Someone else shared their own height-related fail: “Checking in at 5′ tall and currently 36 years old. Within the last couple of years, I was offered the children’s menu and crayons when out to dinner with my now-wife and a friend. Makes me wonder what strangers think when I answer the door at my own house.”
How embarrassing!
You can see her post here.