NEWSSimone Biles Calls Out Microaggressions After Being Mistaken for Other Black Athletes
Simone Biles speaks out after being mistaken for fellow Black athletes, calling attention to the microaggressions she experienced.
July 13 2026, Published 3:00 p.m. ET
Simone Biles spoke out after being mistaken for other Black athletes multiple times in one morning.
"It’s not even 6am and I’ve already gotten called Dominique Dawes 2x and Sha’Carri once," the Olympic gymnast wrote on her Instagram Story on Sunday, July 12, alongside a photo of a sunrise.
Simone Biles Said She Was Mistaken for Other Black Athletes
Simone Biles shared that she was mistaken for Dominique Dawes twice and Sha’Carri Richardson once in an Instagram Story post.
Biles shared the message after being confused with fellow Olympians Dominique Dawes and Sha’Carri Richardson, highlighting the everyday microaggressions many Black public figures still face.
Dawes is a 49-year-old retired Olympic gymnast who competed at the 1992 Barcelona, 1996 Atlanta, and 2000 Sydney Games. She won team gold at the Atlanta Olympics and earned bronze medals in the floor exercise in Atlanta and in the team competition in both Barcelona and Sydney.
Meanwhile, Richardson is an Olympic track-and-field sprinter. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, she won gold in the women's 4x100-meter relay and silver in the 100-meter event.
Richardson also qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 but was ruled ineligible to compete after testing positive for marijuana in a drug test before the Games.
Simone Biles Has Faced Similar Case of Mistaken Identity Before
Simone Biles previously corrected a media outlet after it mistakenly used fellow gymnast Shilese Jones' photo in a story about her.
This was not the first time Biles addressed being confused with another Black gymnast.
In 2023, she called out a media outlet after it published a story about her using a photo of fellow gymnast Shilese Jones instead.
"This picture isn’t even me…….. try again," the 29-year-old wrote on X during that time.
The publication later acknowledged the mistake, replying, "We have corrected the photo and the story and on social media."
The incident sparked conversation at the time about the importance of accurately identifying Black athletes and avoiding careless mistakes in media coverage.
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Simone Biles Addressed Questions About Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's Wedding
Simone Biles defended her friendship with Taylor Swift after attending the singer's wedding with Jonathan Owens.
Biles' latest social media post came days after she responded to questions about why she attended Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding.
Some social media users questioned how close the two women were.
When one Instagram user asked, "When has Simone Biles and Taylor Swift even spoken to each other?"
She responded, "Remember this, I only show y’all what I want y’all to know."
She attended the wedding at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Friday, July 3, alongside her husband, NFL player Jonathan Owens. Biles then shared a carousel of photos from the evening's celebration.
"The perfect love story, followed by the perfect nighTT," she captioned the post at the time.
Simone Biles used social media to highlight the importance of recognizing Black athletes as individuals.
Owens also posted photos from the star-studded event, writing, "What a night So grateful to be able to witness such a beautiful ceremony with so many amazing people. We love to celebrate love, a night we’ll truly never forget Congratulations to the couple!!! #T&T."
