Top 10 Times Olympians Clapped Back

British tennis player Andy Murray is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, having won the men’s singles in 2012 London and 2016 Rio de Janeiro. Following his Rio win, a BBC reporter congratulated Murray on becoming “the [first] person ever to win two Olympic tennis gold medals”. Murray was quick to remind him about tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams, stating, [“I think Venus and Serena have won about four each”.] He is in fact correct. The Williams sisters have each earned four gold medals - both have won three doubles and one singles. Another fun fact: both women scored their fourth win at the 2012 London Olympics - four years before Murray’s second in 2016.

Freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy is a prominent gay athlete, having come out in 2015 - one year after winning silver in slopestyle at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. He also shared a kiss with then-boyfriend Matthew Wilkas on live TV during the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, a moment that earned widespread praise for the positive representation of LGBTQ+ athletes. After Kenworthy spoke about the kiss on Twitter, one troll responded with a homophobic comment about gay marriage, asking, “If men marry men and women marry women, who will produce children in this world?” Kenworthy responded with three simple and effective words: “Hopefully not you”.

One of the most famous gymnasts of our time, Aly Raisman was the captain of the popular Fierce Five and Final Five teams - both of which were invited to the White House to meet President Obama. Raisman retired in January of 2020, having won three gold, two silver, and one bronze medal throughout her Olympics career. But this hasn’t stopped people from shaming her. In May of 2017, Raisman recounted an experience she had at an airport. After learning that she was a professional gymnast, a man said, “I don’t see any muscles” and proceeded to stare at her body. Raisman rightfully went on the defensive, writing a lengthy social media rebuttal that included, “If u are a man who can’t compliment a girls [muscles] you are sexist”.

Alpine ski racer Lindsey Vonn officially retired in 2019 at the age of 34 due to debilitating injuries. Throughout her career, Vonn earned three medals at the Olympics, including downhill gold at the 2010 Vancouver Games. After sharing some bikini photos on Instagram, Vonn was the recipient of rude body shaming. She again took to Instagram to respond, writing a lengthy clapback against the “ruthless comments and media stories that tear apart my body”. She stayed strong in the face of adversity, writing, “I always remember how my body has helped me achieve amazing things in my life”. And indeed it has. Very few people on this Earth can say they’re an Olympic champion!

While not an Olympian per se, Geno Auriemma is nevertheless a three-time Olympic gold medal winner, serving as head coach of the U.S. Women’s National Basketball Team. Auriemma has often fielded questions regarding his team’s dominance - questions that aren’t often brought up within male sports. As a reporter told Auriema, “People have been asking about whether the dominance of the USA team is bad for the game, but that’s not being said on the men’s side”. Auriemma responded flawlessly, defending his team’s record and the sport of women’s basketball. In his own words, “We are what we are. We’re never going to apologize for being that good… We’re not bad for women’s basketball… what’s bad for women’s basketball is when nobody’s great.”

American athlete Michelle Carter is an Olympic shot putter and current record holder. She dominated the 2016 Rio games, winning the gold medal and setting an American record with a distance of 67 feet, 8 inches. Carter has also long been the subject of some sexist claims regarding the female body and her supposed lack of femininity. She has continuously clapped back against these claims, telling the press, “I’m in a sport where people don’t look at us like women… but I’ve been girly all my life.” She also told The New Yorker, “We’re girls and we can throw heavy balls and be in the dirt and we look good while we’re doing it.”

Often regarded as the greatest gymnast in history, Simone Biles is the most decorated athlete in American gymnastics with a combined 30 world championship and Olympic medals. This includes four gold medals at the 2016 Rio Games. With team captain Aly Reisman, Biles has been publicly vocal against the national team’s doctor Larry Nassar, who is alleged to have sexually assaulted over 250 young athletes throughout his career - including Reisman and Biles. In March of 2020, the official USA Gymnastics Twitter wrote a happy birthday post to Biles. She responded with, “How about you amaze me and do the right thing… have an independent investigation”. Nassar is currently spending a de facto life sentence in prison for his crimes against USA Gymnastics athletes.

Figure skater Adam Rippon officially retired from the sport in November 2018, just nine months after taking home bronze at the Pyeongchang Games. Like fellow Olympic athlete Gus Kenworthy, Rippon publicly came out as gay in 2015. Together, the two athletes skipped a White House visit to protest the controversial administration’s anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. Rippon took to Twitter, writing, “I will not stand with people who discriminate against those that they perceive as different”. Rippon is no stranger to clapbacks. In 2017, he tweeted, “I was recently asked in an interview what its like to be a gay athlete in sports. I said that it’s exactly like being a straight athlete”.

In 2018, Serena Williams competed at the French Open wearing a black Nike catsuit. She was donning the functional catsuit to combat the potentially-fatal blood clots she had been suffering since giving birth, stating at a news conference, “I've been wearing pants in general a lot when I play so I can keep the blood circulation going”. However, officials running the French Open banned the catsuit and other attire like it, with President of the French Tennis Federation Bernard Giudicelli saying, “One must respect the game and the place”. The following year, Williams appeared at the tournament donning a black and white zebra-striped cape with the words “Mother, champion, queen, goddess” in French over her tennis attire.

Despite arguably being the greatest gymnast in history, Simone Biles still faces double standards. It speaks to the horrible and rampant sexism on display when it comes to sports. But Biles isn’t having any of it. After winning gold in all-around at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Biles confidently declared, “I’m not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps. I’m the first Simone Biles”. And she is absolutely correct. Just as Bolt and Phelps did for their respective sports, Biles has become a gymnastics icon and its most decorated athlete in history. From here on out, every gymnast will be compared to Biles, and her name will forever remain historic.