Athlete Nia Dennis has managed to mesmerize judges, celebrities, fellow athletes and fans with her floor routine, the video of which has gone viral.
The ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests inspired the performance, which included numbers by artists like Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé and Missy Elliott.
The judges awarded her a score of 9.95 out of 10 for the performance on Saturday that made her team University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) Gymnastics beat Arizona State.
“I had to… for the culture,” Nia said on Instagram.
Former US First Lady Michelle Obama wrote: “Now that’s what I call fierce! You’re a star.”
The viral video of Nia’s splendid performance garnered nine million views.
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“I wanted the performance to be a celebration of everything that black people can achieve, everything they can overcome,” a report quoted Nia as saying.
“The subject of Black Lives Matter is so heavy that it is difficult for people to talk about – and sometimes you have to meet people where they’re at, with a celebration,” she said.
The knee became synonymous with the Black Lives Matter movement after African-American man George Floyd lost his life when a white police officer knelt on his neck.
Sports stars across the world took the knee to pledge their commitment to the cause of black people across the globe.
Despite the Black Lives Matter movement having a profound impact on the athlete, she could not participate in the protests owing to surgery on her shoulder.
The young gymnast said that Black Lives Matter protests rendered her the voice.
“Every single song in the performance has been sung by major black artists and musicians from different generations. They had a huge impact on black culture and me,” she said.
“So I’m having the time of my life by celebrating what they’ve done,” she further said.