CELEBRITY
Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce and Beyonce responds in awe to Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles performing to their songs “Ready for It?” and “I’m that girl” in their floor routine at the Olympics: Taylor says “You’re setting a great…”, what Travis says made lots of fans Heart Melts…
Are you ready for it? Alongside their triple twists and double pikes, fans are going to flip over the music the U.S. women’s gymnastics team selected to soundtrack their floor routines at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In their first day of competition at Bercy Arena, on July 28, Simone Biles along with teammates Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, Hezly Rivera and Sunisa “Suni” Lee paired music from Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Travis Scott and more while landing gravity-defying twists and turns.
Because no lyrics are allowed in the music that accompanies gymnastics floor exercise, according to Olympic rules, so gymnasts have often opted for classical tunes. However, that’s changing as more gymnasts are incorporating instrumental versions of pop music into their routines.
“You always want, as a coach, to choose music that the athlete resonates with so they can really bring that music to life with their movement,” Valorie Kondos Field, former head coach of UCLA’s championship women’s gymnastics team that included Sophina DeJesus and Katelyn Ohashi, athletes known for their viral floor routines, told Yahoo Entertainment.
“There was a distinct time [around 2010] that I was at UCLA and I was trying to fill Pauley Pavilion, our stadium, our arena, and I just thought, ‘OK, sport is entertainment. How am I going to vie for the entertainment dollars, especially in Los Angeles, the entertainment capital of the world?’” she said. “And I just realized that I really had to make our sport, gymnastics, as relatable as possible to the average fan. Not the gymnastics fan, but the average fan.” Of course that comes at a cost at the Olympics, as the gymnasts first need to secure permission from the music’s copyright holders, according to guidance from the Games.
Keep in mind that this requirement is only for the women in competition — viewers won’t hear pop, rock or even classical music playing during the men’s gymnastics floor routines. This dates back to 1928, when women competed in the sport for the first time at the Olympics after the men debuted in 1896. While the focus for men was on strength, the sport highlighted traditional gender roles, centering “femininity and grace” for women, which music was supposed to enhance.
“For the men, music isn’t allowed for their floor routines,” Lindsey Ayotte, the head female gymnastics coach at the University of New Hampshire, told CNN. “There really isn’t a need for it since there isn’t any dance component to it. Their routines are mostly based on high-flying tumbling, strength and power. It’s not an option for them to use music.”
That said, this year’s leading female gymnasts competing for Team USA have made lots of noise (in a good way) with the tunes they’ve chosen — and gotten enthusiastic shout-outs from the artists, to boot.
Biles, Lee and Chiles are competing in the floor exercise at the women’s team final, which is currently in gold medal position overall, on July 30. Here are the tracks that have been shaking the floorboards: