The pop star celebrated gymnast Simone Biles, swimmer Katie Ledecky and sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson
Shared over the weekend (August 3), a new clip for this year’s ongoing Olympic Games was shown during NBC’s primetime coverage of the event, and featured a special appearance from Swift.
The video was made to celebrate three impressive athletes representing Team USA at this year’s Paris Games – gymnast Simone Biles, swimmer Katie Ledecky and sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson.
It opened with a written quote from fashion icon Coco Chanel, reading: “Every day is a fashion show and the world is your runway.” The minute-long video is comprised of footage of the three in action and has Swift’s 2015 hit ‘Style’ playing in the background.
“Never be afraid to show them who you are, especially when the whole world is watching,” the pop star then begins. “Because there is no one way to be the best. No one way to inspire everyone else who will someday follow.”
“You do what you love. You love what you do. You believe in your style, whatever it is,” she continues. “Katie, Sha’Carri and Simon… Three American stars. Three different visions of greatness. Tonight, in Paris.” Watch the clip in full below.
The support from the singer-songwriter comes after NBC used audio from a live rendition of her song ‘… Ready For It?’ as the soundtrack to an advert, promoting their coverage of the 2024 events.
Swift then went on to react to the promotional video on her Instagram Stories, adding that she was feeling “So ready to scream at my TV cheering for these athletes”.
The US has been performing well at the Olympic Games since it kicked off last month (July 26). At time of writing, the nation is currently leading in overall medals and is behind only China by one when it comes to Gold medals.
On Thursday (August 1) one of the athletes mentioned in Swift’s video, Simone Biles, went on to win the women’s all-around individual gymnastics final. It marked her second gold medal in this year’s Olympics and officially made her the most decorated US gymnast in Olympic history.
Beyoncé also came forward to share her praise for the world-renowned gymnast too – also sharing a promotional video that celebrated Biles for overcoming various obstacles in her career.
“Let’s talk about power. Because, really, that’s what this story’s about: Physical power. Its beauty, its wonder. The way it never stops amazing you,” Bey said in the voiceover. “Then there’s spiritual power, the kind that really matters. The power you can’t see, only sense. The power you need in those moments when life goes a little sideways on you.”
The reference to life going “a little sideways” seemed to be a nod to the circumstances that forced Simone Biles to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics. Ahead of the 2021 games, the athlete reported experiencing ‘Twisties’ – a condition which causes the gymnast to feel a sudden disorientation and leaves them unable to perform the spins in their routine.
“Simone Biles inspires me, and I’m pretty sure she inspires you too. Such confidence in her strength, such beauty in her power, such a great lesson in her story,” the singer added.
The 2024 Olympics kicked off on July 26 with an opening ceremony featuring Lady Gaga performing French cabaret song ‘Mon truc en plumes’ and Gojira performing French Revolution song ‘Ah Ça Ira!’ with opera singer Marina Viotti.
Celine Dion also performed for the first time in four years, taking on Edith Piaf’s ‘L’Hymne A L’Amour’ in her first show since she revealed in 2022 that she had been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome (SPS).
It was widely speculated by the French media that Dion and Lady Gaga would perform a duet of ‘La Vie En Rose’.
The competitive events are set to continue until Sunday (August 11).
As for other Taylor Swift news, the singer recently reflected on pulling a hilltop crowd of 50,000 outside of her ‘Eras Tour’ in Munich, describing it as a “magical experience”, and fans began suspecting that the new Charli XCX and Billie Eilish ‘Guess’ collaboration contained a diss towards the pop star.
