Simone Biles has praised 14-year-old Kortnee Solomon, who made history as the first black cowgirl to compete at a nationally televised rodeo in 2021.
This acknowledgment comes amid Women’s History Month, with Biles also stating that she wanted to be a cowgirl growing up.
Solomon’s journey began at 11 when she participated in the first nationally televised Black rodeo in 2021. Despite often being the sole female competitor at events, Solomon usually remains undeterred and believes she is different.
“Before I run, I like to be by myself and to think about what I am going to do in that run,” she said of her demeanor before a competition.
Biles, herself inspired by Solomon’s story, revealed her childhood dream of becoming a cowgirl but abandoned it after being told there were no black cowgirls.
The celebrated gymnast lauded Solomon on X and expressed hope for a successful career for the young cowgirl.
“YES MA’AM. go girl go girl!!!!, Biles wrote last week.
“When I was younger I used to want to be a cowgirl so bad & someone told me there were no black cowgirls, so I hung my cowgirl hat up! LOOK NOW WAHOO! GO KORTNEE. BLACK GIRL MAGIC!!!!”
She expressed hope that future generations of aspiring cowgirls won’t face the same discouragement she did.
Biles is one of the most decorated gymnasts in history, but, encountered her own set of challenges in the pursuit of her career. She has the vault routine (round-off half on, layout double full Yurchenko 1/2 on, layout 2/1) named after her, the Biles.
While Biles remains the sole gymnast to execute this routine successfully, she acknowledges she finds it difficult to execute it now.
A fan recently shared a picture on social media of the complexity associated with performing the skill.
Biles reacted by stating that she “literally” could not perform the skill that way anymore.
“The way I literally cannot do it anymore,” she explained.
The 26-year-old can become the most decorated gymnast in Olympic history by securing a medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Despite not competing in the recent Winter Cup due to her qualification for the National team, Biles is gearing up for the 2024 World Artistic Gymnastics Championship.
