Dawn Staley has found 'paradise of drinks' at 2024 Paris Olympics: Mexican Coca-Cola Cherry
There isn’t much in Dawn Staley’s life she has worked toward that she ultimately hasn’t received.
As a player, she was a six-time WNBA all-star and a three-time Olympic gold-medalist. She has conquered women’s college basketball coaching, leading South Carolina to three NCAA championships and turning the Gamecocks into the sport’s modern-day Goliath. Even when she came up short of a goal, like when her Virginia team lost to Tennessee in the 1991 NCAA Tournament title game, she was named the tournament’s most outstanding player.
As it turns out, she had to go all the way to Paris to find something she wants but might not be able to get.
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While in the French capital for the 2024 Paris Olympics, Staley has gotten to soak in the city’s iconic landmarks, as well as its acclaimed culture and cuisine, but one thing in particular has stood out to her: Mexican Coca-Cola Cherry.
“Uh hey @CocaCola @CocaColaCo you have been holding out on the Mexican ‘cherry’ Coca-Cola in the bottle in the states,” she wrote Sunday in a social media post, with a picture of the glass bottles lined up in a refrigerator. “Came all the way to Paris to find the paradise of drinks! Is this special edition for the Olympics? (Please) let me know so I can ship some stateside!! (Thanks) so much.”
Uh hey @CocaCola @CocaColaCo you have been holding out on the Mexican “cherry” Coca-Cola in the bottle in the states. Came all the way to Paris to find the paradise of drinks! Is this special edition for the Olympics? Pls let me know so I can ship some stateside!! Thx so much?? pic.twitter.com/yzpYkLp3lo
— dawnstaley (@dawnstaley) July 28, 2024
Staley can find cherry-flavored Coke in the United States, of course, but there’s a critical and noticeable difference between Mexican Coke and its American counterpart. Mexican Coke is made with cane sugar, while American Coke is sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup. Mexican Coke is widely available in parts of the U.S., but its cherry-flavored offshoot is likely harder to find. At the very least, Staley seems not to have been able to find it.
Staley was in France as part of a presidential delegation for Friday’s Olympics opening ceremony. As part of that opportunity, she got to board Air Force 2, received two custom coins commemorating the delegation and got two boxes of candy autographed by President Joe Biden.
While in Paris, Staley has appeared on NBC’s basketball coverage from the Games. She also has the chance to watch her former star player A’ja Wilson lead the U.S. women’s basketball team, which is vying for its eighth-consecutive Olympic gold medal.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Dawn Staley has found 'paradise of drinks' at 2024 Paris Olympics