Simone Biles Was Offered a Coloring Book on a Plane After Flight Attendant Mistook Her for a Child

Mustafa Gatollari - Author
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PUBLISHED Jul. 15 2022, 8:40 a.m. ET

Simone Biles
Source: Twitter | @popcrave

The average height of a modern competitive gymnast is 4'9". Simone Biles, who competed for the United States Olympics team and earned a whopping seven medals during her athletic career in the global games (four of them gold), is an inch shorter at 4'8".

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Being that size doesn't just have advantages on the mat but also when one takes flights, as you'll never be in want of legroom. It also apparently gets you free coloring books.

Simone Biles Medal of Freedom
Source: Getty Images
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At least that's what happened to Simone Biles during her flight.

The decorated Olympian uploaded a photo of her reaction to a flight attendant mistaking her for a child during a plane ride and offering her a coloring book. Biles posted a picture of her face that says it all, along with a caption of her response to the airline employee.

"Not the flight attendant trying to give me a coloring book when I board ... I said, 'No I'm good. I'm 25.'" However, Biles airborne experience was redeemed when she said another flight attendant offered her an alcoholic beverage. "The other flight attendant gave me a mimosa so we're in the clear," she wrote.

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Biles seems to have shrugged off the slight, and Twitter users responded with a mix of hilarity and frustration. "I so get this. I’m 5’2”, my daughter is 5’0". What drives us craziest??? The people that say, 'You’re so cuuuute!' And then they try and PICK YOU UP! I swear it’s the truth," one Twitter user quipped.

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Another wrote, "I’m crying at the thought of a flight attendant giving Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast in history, a coloring book because she is 4’8".

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Yet another person wrote, "As someone who looks young, this really isn’t a compliment when you’ve gotten it your whole life being seen as young."

There were also some people who said that regardless of their age, they wouldn't take offense at being offered a coloring book and would welcome the gesture and get to filling in the lines during their flight.

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The mistake apparently happened during Simone's return flight home from Washington D.C. where she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Joe Biden. She purportedly received the distinction not just for her athletic prowess but also for quitting mid-competition during the 2020 Olympic Games to prioritize her mental health.

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Biles said of USA Gymnastics: "Everything that I’ve been through with the organization of USAG just makes for a sticky situation. It just sucks. And it’s, like, I love the sport so much, but I feel like it’s just a hit to the gut every time something comes out or new information has been revealed."

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