Lifestyle
Tennis champion Coco Gauff joins a long lineage of athletes to be featured on the coveted orange Wheaties box.
Coco Gauff is the latest athlete to endorse the “Breakfast of Champions.” Just a year after winning the “Grand Slam” title and weeks after her Olympic debut, classic cereal brand Wheaties is honoring Gauff with her first limited-edition Wheaties box.
“At the age of 20, Coco Gauff is already showing the world that anything is possible when you dare to dream — the definition of a Wheaties Champion,” KC Glaser, senior brand experience manager for Wheaties, said in a press release. “We are thrilled to recognize Coco as our newest Wheaties champion amid her incredible season on the court and her ongoing activism work off the court.”
For over 100 years, the cereal brand has become known for celebrating athletes across various disciplines. Since highlighting track and field Olympian Jesse Owens, the first Black athlete to be featured on a Wheaties box in 1936, the brand has honored Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, Simone Biles, and more. Similarly, Gauff will be following in the footsteps of LeBron James, with whom she shared the responsibilities of being Team USA’s flagbearer during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In 2023, Gauff, who was 19 at the time, became the youngest person to win a Grand Slam title since Serena Williams’ 1999 victory. Today, Gauff holds seven Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) singles titles and is the No. 2 ranked women’s singles player in the world. Continuing to compete in global competitions, Gauff says her accomplishments are her biggest motivation.
“I always knew I wanted to try to win multiple Grand Slams,” she said, as previously reported by theGrio. “Sometimes people get unmotivated after winning one. That hasn’t been a personal challenge for me.”
Haniyah Philogene
Associated Press
Mariel Turner
Associated Press
Haniyah Philogene
Haniyah Philogene
Associated Press
Kay Wicker
Captivated by her determination, Gauff has attracted the attention of many other iconic figures, including Michelle Obama, Spike Lee, Snoop Dogg, and tennis icon Billie Jean King. In fact, King, a 39-time Grand Slam champion, will pass the “Wheaties Champion” torch to Gauff during US Open Fan Week on Aug. 20. Celebrating Gauff’s Wheaties debut and the next generation of tennis greatness, the two will also discuss their careers and experiences as athletes and activists.
“It is an honor to be on the next Wheaties box, especially as the legendary Billie Jean King passes the historic ‘Wheaties Champion’ title onto me,” Gauff added in a press release. “I’ve had so many role models in this sport help guide my professional and personal journey, and I hope to keep empowering the next generation to also work hard and dream big.”
Gauff’s limited-edition Wheaties box will be available at major retailers for $6.19 starting this month.
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