The Olympic Games in Paris have provided many fashion moments. The latest comes at a micro level. Competitors, chiefly in gymnastics and athletics, are making nails a big part of their look.
Sha’Carri Richardson is the pioneer here. Her statement nails have long been part of her style. For the 100-metre heats on Friday, her nails were pointed, jewelled and brightly patterned. They were decorated with the US flag for the opening ceremony last weekend.
The gymnasts Sunisa Lee and Jordan Chiles both have long nails – Chiles decorating hers with jewels and vivid colours. Shot putter Raven Saunders has talons decorated with the Olympic rings. Noah Lyles, the US track and field star, has “icon’” spelt out across his. To continue the trend, there’s even a nail salon in the Olympic Village.
Sportspeople have traditionally kept their on-field style minimal in a bid to focus on optimum performance, so the nails here have raised eyebrows. However, Dr Danielle Adams Norenberg, the head of psychology at the UK Sports Institute, who works with Team GB, says they can actually give an edge: “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.”
Over a career that began in the late noughties, the US hurdler Queen Harrison Claye became known for her style, which featured long nails, elaborate hairstyles and even blue lipstick. She says it helped her perform – precisely because she was thinking about her look. “For some people that sounds crazy or distracted but in reality, it was a way for me to be focused on what I’ve been training in, and not overthink it,” she says.