Canadian pole vaulter Alysha Newman explains why she twerked after winning Olympic bronze

Charles Curtis

August 9, 2024 at 7:18 a.m.·1 min read

PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 07: Bronze medalist Alysha Newman of Team Canada reacts after competing during the Women's Pole Vault Final on day twelve of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 07, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 776138765 ORIG FILE ID: 2165764360

Alysha Newman made headlines on Thursday for doing the iconic "I'm injured, ow! No, SYKE! I'm twerking" celebration that we've seen before, in the midst of her winning a bronze medal in pole vault for her native Canada a the 2024 Paris Olympics.

But there was a story behind it.

MORE: Best photos of pole vaulters in Paris

As she told CBC Sports, she's always injured, so she decided to scare her very serious coaches so they'd lighten up.

“So I said, I’m gonna fake an injury and then I'm gonna dance after," she said. "But it just happened very fluid.”

Here's that answer around the 5-minute mark:

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This article originally appeared on For The Win: Canadian pole vaulter Alysha Newman explains why she twerked after winning Olympic bronze

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