"Female swimmers I met weren’t nearly as intimidating" - When Simone Biles opened up on being starstruck by elite athletes at Rio Olympics 

Simone Biles once opened up about being starstruck after meeting fellow American athletes at her debut Olympics. The legendary gymnast made her debut at the Quadrennial Games during the 2016 edition.

During her stay in the Olympic Village in Rio de Janeiro, she was excited to meet her fellow teammates, especially eight time Olympic medalist Nathan Adrian. She met the swimmer to trade a few pins, a traditional custom at Olympics, when he invited her to meet legendary swimmer Michael Phelps.

Amazed by Phelps' height, she had a hilarious exchange and took a funny picture with him. She further humorously reflected on how female swimmers she met were less intimidating. Biles shared the incident in her autobiography Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance published in 2016.

“'Hey, Nathan, how are you? Do you have any pins to trade?' I asked," Biles recalled. "It’s a tradition to trade pins with athletes from other countries, and I had run out of them already. Nathan handed me some and then said, 'Come meet Michael!' As in the Michael Phelps! I almost died."

"Michael and swimmer Conor Dwyer were sharing a room. They were sitting on their couch and stood up to say hi. That’s when I noticed how very tall Michael is: six feet four. 'Hi, I’m Simone!' 'Wow, you’re short!' he replied. I just started laughing. Aimee took a photo of us and posted it on Twitter. It’s hilarious to see us standing next to each other, since I barely come up to his armpit."

"Fortunately, the female swimmers I met weren’t nearly as intimidating." Biles added.

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Simone Biles enjoyed a successful debut at the 2016 Rio Olympics

Simone Biles of Team United States at the Olympic Games 2024 at Bercy Arena in Paris, France. (Photo by Getty Images)

Simone Biles enjoyed a victorious streak at her debut Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2016. She clinched four gold and a bronze medal, cementing her prospect. Biles contributed to the team's effort in bagging a gold medal in the team event along with Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian, and Aly Raisman, defeating the Russian and Chinese squads.

The legendary gymnast then dominated three events, including all-around, vault, and floor. Biles also bagged a bronze medal in the balance beam event. After the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she won four medals, she became the most decorated American gymnast ever.