Nailed it! The 2024 Paris Olympics have provided plenty of fashion moments, from leotards to shoes , but sometimes it’s the little things that really help give athletes the confidence to nail it at the competitions — like a manicure. Competitors, including track and field star Sha’Carri Richardson and Olympic gold medalists Jordan Chiles and Suni Lee, are making sure their nails are at their best while going for gold. With all these athletes wanting to make sure their manicures are in check during the Olympics, it should come as no surprise that there’s even a nail salon right there in the Olympic Village .
It may come as a surprise, however, that Olympians are getting long acrylic nails in the first place considering people in sports often keep their nails to the bare minimum for optimal performance. Dr. Danielle Adams Norenberg, the head of psychology at the UK Sports Institute who works with Team Great Britain, told The Guardian that polished nails can actually give these athletes a leg up.
“I’m all for helping [athletes] figure out how they’re going to express themselves through their performance in a way that enhances their strengths and supports their methods,” Norenberg said. The psychologist also pushes back on the idea that these intricate nails could potentially make competing more difficult. “The athletes and the coaches themselves are considering their equipment to the absolute nth degree and they would not be taking a risk that would compromise .