Emilia Sykes releases gymnastics-themed ad campaign ahead of Olympics

Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-OH) showed off her gymnastics skills in a campaign ad as the opening ceremony for the Summer Olympics in Paris is set to unfold Friday afternoon.

The ad shows Sykes, a former state gymnastics champion, flipping off the end of a balance beam.

“They’ll twist everything to scare you,” she said. “But the only thing that will stick is my landing.”

The ad campaign will appear on local television during the first week of the Olympics beginning on Friday, the Hill reported.

“Emilia Sykes has spent her entire career bringing people together to deliver for her community. Her record speaks for itself, and in the Birthplace of Champions voters know she will always put working families first,” campaign spokeswoman Maddie Summers said. “The Olympics is an opportunity to put politics aside and come together to root for American excellence, and this ad is an opportunity to showcase another champion for Northeast Ohio.”

The first-term Ohio Democrat competed in gymnastics for many years growing up and made it to the Junior Olympics twice, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.

She faces a tough race against Republican opponent Kevin Coughlin in one of the nation’s most competitive congressional districts.

Three athletes from Sykes’s district will compete for Team USA in Paris: LeBron James, Steph Curry, and BMX freestyle athlete Marcus Christopher.