Simone Biles, the 29-year-old Olympic legend, revealed she was recently mistaken for two different Black athletes multiple times in a single day. Can you even believe it? This wasn't some minor oversight either; it happened *before 6 AM*.
A Chaotic Morning Before the Sun Was Even Up
In a July 12 Instagram Stories post, Biles laid out the wild start to her day. She'd been misidentified not once, but thrice, by that ridiculously early hour. She explicitly stated she'd been called Dominique Dawes, a retired artistic gymnast and fellow Olympian, two times. On top of that, she got mixed up with track star Sha'Carri Richardson once. "It's not even 6am and I've already gotten called Dominique Dawes 2x and Sha'Carri once," Biles wrote, according to reports from People and Us Weekly. Imagine that start to your day! Even with such a wild mix-up, she appeared to take it in stride, tossing a couple of laughing emojis into her caption. The backdrop for her post? A serene photograph, seemingly taken from a balcony at sunrise. It just adds to the whole surreal vibe.Not the First Time This Has Happened
Here's the kicker: this isn't a one-off thing for Biles. She's publicly called out misidentification before. Back in October 2023, she had to set the Wall Street Journal straight on X. The newspaper ran an article about her but slapped a photo of Shilese Jones, another prominent Black gymnast, right in there. Biles didn't pull any punches, responding, "This picture isn't even me…….. try again." That original X post from the publication eventually got deleted, and the outlet confirmed they corrected the photo in both the story and across their social media. It just goes to show this isn't some random fluke; there's a recurring issue here. For an athlete of Biles' caliber and recognition, it's pretty wild that these kinds of mix-ups are still happening. While she handled it with grace and even humor this time around, the pattern itself is something to note. Here's hoping people start recognizing these incredible athletes for the distinct individuals they are.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.