The Canadian pole vaulter, Alysha Newman, who went viral for twerking after winning an Olympic bronze medal, revealed her celebration was a harmless prank on her coaches.
Newman, who cleared 4.85 meters to secure third place, said she wanted to lighten the mood for her intense coaches.
Newman told CBC Sports, "I’m always injured, and I’m always getting back on the horse,” she said. “So I said I’m gonna go and scare my coaches because I want them to lighten up."
The 30-year-old's twerking celebration, which she performed with a grin, quickly spread across the internet.
Newman explained, "It just happened very fluid, I didn’t think I’m gonna twerk, but just from grabbing that to getting to the knee with a twerk it all just worked out in one."
Critics speculated whether Newman was promoting her OnlyFans account or simply celebrating. Newman responded, "Of course, many people have a certain cliché when they think of OnlyFans. I can’t change many people’s minds."
Newman acknowledged a possible connection to a TikTok trend where people fake injuries before twerking, though she wasn't aware of its origin.
"I got to go look at it and I’ll put us together on an Instagram or something," she said.
This bronze medal marks Newman's first Olympic medal and the first for a Canadian female pole vaulter.
Reflecting on her journey, she said, "I didn’t show up to some practices and said ‘I can’t do this anymore’ but look where I am now, I’m a bronze medalist and no one can take that title away from me."
