Jason Kelce reflects on his time at the 2024 Paris Olympics, including his viral arm wrestling match with USA Women’s Rugby star Nicole Heavirland.
As it appears in the latest issue Green Light with Chris Long podcast, Kelce, 36, explained why he was initially hesitant to take a fellow athlete, 29.
“Dude, I hate to say I’m tipping my hand. Especially when it’s always somebody smaller than you because it’s like a lose-lose situation,” Kelce said. “Like if I win, it’s like, ‘Oh, look at the big guy going over the smaller guy.’ ”
The former NFL star, however, decided to accept the challenge in the spirit of the Olympic Games.
Jason Kelce fights Team USA rugby star Nicole Heavirland as wife Kylie calls him out for cheating
“I’m at the Olympics, obviously. And [Nicole is] like, ‘Do you want to arm wrestle?’ I mean, okay, I’m not going to turn down an Olympian at the Olympics,” he said.
Although Heavirland lost the match, she shared a clip of her interaction with Kelce on Instagram, writing over the video, “Challenged Jason Kelce to an arm wrestle.”
She jokingly suggested he didn’t follow the rules during their match by writing the post, “@jason.kelce holding on to that table for a bit? 🤣.”
Jason Kelce wears a T-shirt with Ilona Maher’s face on it.
New Heights Show/Twitter
Jason Kelce visits US women’s rugby team and star Ilona Maher at Olympics: ‘I’m officially a fan’
The retired Philadelphia Eagles player’s wife, Kylie Kelce, who accompanied him on the trip, hilariously commented on the video: “I tried to warn you!”
He playfully defended himself by adding, “Holding something out of the hand is completely within the rules of the International Hand Knockdown Federation.”
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While in Paris, the Kelces also met other members of the US rugby team, including Kasey McCravey, Kate Zackary, Meya Bizer and Kristen Thomas.
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Jason Kelce at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Ilona Maher/TikTok
Star Ilona Maher even named Jason the unofficial mascot of the USA Women’s Rugby Team in another fun TikTok clip. He later showed his appreciation for the new title by wearing a red, white and blue button-up shirt that featured different images of Maher’s face.
Speaking to The Associated Press, Jason explained why he and Kylie decided to make the most of their time at the Olympics.
“When we found out we were going to have the opportunity to go to this, the more we thought about it, we were like, ‘Let’s take it now that we can actually do it,'” he said.
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“We love sports, we love competition, we love world events. This is such a unique place where the whole world comes together and connects around competition and sports,” he continued.
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Source: HIS Education