Canadian pole vaulter Alysha Newman, who garnered attention for celebrating her Olympic bronze medal with a twerking routine, has explained that her risqué performance was a playful prank aimed at her intense coaches.
Newman, who secured third place with a jump of 4.85 meters, revealed that the twerking was meant to lighten the mood for her coaches. “I’m always injured and getting back on the horse, so I decided to scare my coaches a bit,” Newman told CBC Sports. “I wanted them to relax, so I pretended to injure myself and then danced.”
The 30-year-old’s unexpected celebration, which involved shaking her backside towards the crowd and cameras, quickly went viral. “It just happened very fluidly,” Newman said. “I didn’t plan on twerking, but it all just came together naturally.”
After her viral moment, Newman’s presence on adult content platforms significantly increased. “Many people have a certain cliché about OnlyFans, and I can’t change everyone’s perception,” she remarked to German publication BILD.
Newman’s celebration may have been inspired by a TikTok trend where people pretend to be injured before dancing. This trend has been popularized by American soccer player Lo’eau Labonta, known for her elaborate victory dances with the Kansas City Current. While Newman claimed she wasn’t familiar with Labonta’s dances, she suggested she might have seen similar moves before.
Newman, a three-time Olympian, previously struggled at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Games but made history with her bronze medal, the first ever for a Canadian female pole vaulter. Despite contemplating retirement, Newman returned to compete and aims for a medal at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
“I didn’t always show up to practices and often thought I couldn’t continue, but here I am, a bronze medalist,” Newman said. “No one can take that title away from me.”
