American rugby player Nicole Heavirland faces off Jason Kelce in an arm wrestle during Paris Olympics. (Images by Getty) — American rugby player Nicole Heavirland faces Jason Kelce in an arm wrestle during Paris Olympics (Images: All from Getty)

"That grown man straight cheated" - Fans react as American rugby player Nicole Heavirland almost defeats Jason Kelce in arm wrestle at Paris Olympics

Modified Jul 30, 2024 08:34 GMT

Fans recently reacted to the American women's rugby seven player Nicole Heavirland challenging Jason Kelce in an arm wrestle at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The two American athletes engaged in an arm wrestling match in a lighthearted moment at the quadrennial sporting event.

Although Heavirland resisted strongly, she fell short of defeating the retired American football center. The teammates of the rugby star are heard encouraging her to defeat the 39-year-old. After their quick bout, the two shared a friendly handshake and a hug.

However, fans suspected that Kelce cheated as the retired American football player held onto the table all the while during the bout, which may have given him an advantage over Heavirland. They commented on Just Women's Sports Instagram reel sharing the video posted by Heavirland.

"Rugby player Nicole Heavirland almost took him down 😵" the caption reads.

One of the fans accused Kelce of cheating and wrote:

"That grown man straight cheated. She won off principal."

Another fan pointed out that Kelce also twisted his wrist to take advantage of his shoulder, which according to them is "unacceptable" in arm wrestling.

"Aside from the table he also twisted his wrist, activating the shoulder, not acceptable in professional arm wrestling," they wrote.

Comments on Just Women's Sports' Instagram reel (@justwomenssports)

A third fan praised Heavirland for her strength and determination and wrote:

"She didn't even use her other arm for grip. She's Hella strong 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽"

Here are a few other reactions:

"Man is fighting for his life 😂"

"He held the table that’s not fair."

"THey should've done this on the cardboard beds."

The American women's rugby team has advanced to the semifinal round at the 2024 Paris Olympics after defeating Great Britain in the quarterfinals.

American women's rugby seven team advances to the semifinal at the 2024 Paris Olympics

The USA squad displayed a dominant performance over the British with 17-7.

Ilona Maher of United States during the women's pool C rugby sevens match between France and United States during the 2024 Olympic Games in France - Getty Images

A day prior, the American squad had fallen short of achieving the victory over the host nation's squad as they were defeated with 31-14. However, they dominated the other two pool C clashes by defeating the Japanese and the Brazilian squads with 36-7 and 24-5, respectively.

July 30, 2024 at the Paris Olympics will feature the semifinal between Team USA and New Zealand at 15:30 local time.