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Olympian Alysha Newman twerks after winning Canada’s first pole vault medal

Alysha Newman twerks in stadium after historic Olympic pole vault win

An OnlyFans creator and Olympic athlete recently shed light on her bold celebration after winning a medal. Celebrations come in many forms—champagne, cake, a speech, or a simple bow. At the Olympics, athletes often cheer, fist pump, or jump excitedly. However, Canadian pole vaulter Alysha Newman chose a unique approach.

Newman clinched a bronze medal at Paris 2024, competing against Australia’s Nina Kennedy and the US’s Katie Moon. This achievement marked Canada’s first Olympic pole vault medal in 112 years.

To mark this historic moment, Newman ran across the stadium floor, initially appearing to hold her leg as if injured. It soon became clear she was joking with the crowd, as she squatted and started twerking in the middle of the Stade de France, grinning widely.

Her celebration received mixed reactions. One viewer felt she ‘ruined the moment’ with her twerk, while others were more supportive, with one noting, “That was her moment and she seized it.”

Newman later explained her actions. Speaking to TSN, she said, “I’m so excited. I laugh because getting third is, I mean, I’ve never got third, but it’s funny because you have to still wait and sit there until the other girls are done. So I’m awkwardly standing there like, ‘What do I do? Do I celebrate? Do I kiss everyone? Do I cry?'”

Eventually, she decided to celebrate with flair. “It was a really surreal moment and it was awesome,” she continued. “I’m very emotionally stable right now and feel so honoured to be the first (women’s) pole vaulter to bring home an Olympic medal for Canada.”

Newman expressed no regrets about her actions in Paris. In an Instagram video, she elaborated on the moment, saying, “That’s why I did that celebration, because it’s a representation of like, ‘I’m injured constantly but I never give up, I never stop.'”

Lee Shuyi

Lee is an expat writer living in Thailand. She specialises in Southeast Asian news for the Thaiger. When she's not writing, Lee enjoys immersing herself in Thai culture and learning Thai.

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