Salma Is Excited for Her Olympian Cousin: "Viva las Hayeks!"

Actress admits that she hasn't had the pleasure of meeting the Mexican long jump star

By Diana Marti Aug 16, 2016 9:44 PMTags

What can't the Hayek family do?

Recently, we learned that Salma Hayek's family member, Yvonne Treviño Hayek, is competing at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. Now the Mexican long jump star is receiving support for her Hollywood relative, who posted a photo of her and captioned it, "I'm excited to see my cousin, Yvonne Treviño Hayek, (who I haven't had the pleasure to meet yet)to compete representing Mexico for the long jump at the Olympics next week. Viva Las Hayeks!!" 

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Best Reaction Faces at the 2016 Rio Olympics

The "Sausage Party" star also reminded her 1.7 million followers on Instagram to watch her cousin's competition. "Vamos @yvonnethayek!! Don't miss my cousin competing tomorrow! Go Mexico! #mexico #rio2016 #olympics," she wrote on the photo she posted of Yvonne posing with the Olympic rings. 

In case you were wondering just how these two are related—we'll break it down for you. Salma's father's cousin's granddaughter is Yvonne, according to ¡Hola!

The Olympian is the first woman in 48 years to be on Mexico's team competing in the long jump event. That's quite an accomplishment.

But it seems that these Olympic aspirations run in the family, because in 2015, Salma posted a #TBT from her gymnastics days. "I wish I could still do that but at least I have proof that once upon a time I was a #gymnast," she captioned the photo. 

"They drafted me...to be part of the Olympic team! But I was eight or nine and my father said no because I would have had to go live in Mexico City in a boarding school for gymnasts, do six hours, eight hours a day of training, which for me was like paradise," she said in 2012 to the New Zealand Herald.

And although her Olympic dreams were cut short, she does not hold any grudges against her father. "My father thought I wouldn't have had a normal childhood, and he wanted me to be normal. It's too bad that with all his efforts it didn't work out! But anyway, it worked out for me because now I'm an actress!"

I wish I could still do that but at least I have proof that once upon a time I was a #gymnast #ludscanov #gym #tbt

A photo posted by Salma Hayek Pinault (@salmahayek) on

Go, Hayeks! 

Watch E! News at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. for the latest excitement from Rio!