Aside from the picturesque landscape, and panoramic architecture of the French capital, the streets of Paris are swarmed with spectators. Not just the banks of the Seine, where fans gathered to watch the opening ceremony, but also the transportation got crammed with crowds. However, along with the local commutation, the athlete buses also got stacked up by non-athlete members. In the wake of this, the German gymnastics team faced an uphill battle to navigate through the sitting space on the buses. But Simone Biles extended a helping hand to her peers to ensure everyone has a level playing field at the big rumble.

On July 26th, German gymnast, Sarah Voss took to her Instagram story to share how the American icon came forward unexpectedly when the German gymnastics team was struggling to reach the arena. The 2022 European Championships team medalist shared Biles’ Paris Olympics pin, the 24-year-old gymnast and penned, “Not only standing up for herself and her mental health but also fighting for us to get a seat (on) the overly packed bus toward the arena.”

While Voss commended the USA star for her efforts to help them reach their destination, the German also noted how Paris isn’t the most visitor-friendly place right now. “It was 45min ride and some non-athletes didn’t intend to make a move for us,” frowned the 2022 German Championships gold medalist.

While Biles’ latest aid to her colleague is undoubtedly a testament to how this Olympics will be different than all the previous ones, it’s certainly not the first time that she’s stood firm beside her teammates and counterparts.

Simone Biles embodies true spirit of sportsmanship

On July 23rd, after landing in Paris, Biles was training alongside her teammates and other competitors. She was working on switch, switch half, and straight jump. But, she pressed pause on her routine and took a moment to admire French-Algerian gymnast, Kaylia Nemour. “Come on!” Biles shouted in appreciation.

In 2023, Simone Biles shared a special moment with her rival Rebeca Andrade after her win at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championship in Belgium. As the three winners stood next to each other during the podium ceremony, Biles replicated the action of taking of an imaginary crown off of her head and placing it on the Brazilian prodigy. Ecstatic Andrade bowed her head as she cheered in happiness!

Interestingly, Biles has already fostered some good relationships with her German counterpart Pauline Schaefer-Betz. She gifted a heart-shaped pin to Schaefer, which she took to her Instagram captioning, “this one is special.” 

Now, as Simone waits to appear in her third Olympic Games, it remains to be seen if she can manage to put her helpful self aside and go on to show the world what she’s truly made of. Do you think such interactions with her competitors ahead of the big test bolsters or hampers her winning mentality? Tell us in the comments!