SZA shows off gymnastics skills in handstand contest with Simone Biles
You won’t believe who wins.
If she hadn’t become an R&B superstar, SZA might have still found herself in the global spotlight as a talented gymnast.
The “Kill Bill” singer joined forces with Simone Biles in an Olympics promotional video for NBC Sports. SZA gushes over the athlete, who officially qualified for the Paris games on Sunday, before showing off her own flexibility and agility on the mat.
Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty; Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty SZA and Simone Biles
In the video, SZA fawns over Biles, who is the most decorated athlete in gymnastics history.
“This my dream to talk to you,” the singer says. “I was so hyped cuz you're like my wildest dream.”
“Thank you,” Biles responds. “You used to be a gymnast!”
“I was,” SZA confirms. “I was nowhere near as cool as you. You're so — I just have never seen anything like you. No one has.”
SZA proposes a grown-up play date. “I would love to just like, I don't know, play around in gym with you. That would be so fun,” she says. “You want to do a handstand contest?” Biles asks.
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NBC Sports/Youtube SZA and Simone Biles
The singer obliges, and shares her own history with gymnastics as she stretches out with Biles. SZA says that she shifted her focus toward music “when it was like clear to me that I wasn't going to be like a national gymnast. I was like ‘Okay, let me see what I can do or like see what else I can be… I needed something to be competitive at.”
After SZA impresses Biles with a handstand warmup, the duo begins their competition — and the singer hand-walks into the gymnast’s space, forcing her to move out of the way. In the end, SZA ends up staying upright longer than Biles does, which means… she beat an Olympic gymnast in a battle of agility? Maybe it’s all staged for publicity, but it’s impressive nonetheless to see the singer maintain such skillful balance side-by-side with a world-class athlete.
“That was so good!” Biles exclaims. “Okay, that was difficult,” SZA concedes.
Watch the full video of SZA and Biles on the mat above.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.