Two competitive, athletic powerhouses and women's sports icons have officially met.
On Wednesday, Aug. 28, the most decorated gymnast in history watched the NCAA all-time leading scorer break another record as the Indiana Fever took on the Connecticut Sun.
While leading her team to a 84-80 victory, Caitlin Clark broke the WNBA's rookie 3-point record previously held by Rhyne Howard, ESPN reported at the time.
Simone Biles, who is just coming off her Paris 2024 Summer Olympics comeback tour, was in the stands cheering the WBNA star on. Later, the pair were able to officially meet in person and for the very first time and along with Olympics track star Gabby Thomas.
"The squad was ecstatic to meet Simone Biles and Gabby Thomas after our win at @GainbridgeFH," the Indiana Fever's official social media account posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, along with a video of the players meeting the gymnastics legend.
the squad was ecstatic to meet Simone Biles and Gabby Thomas after our win at @GainbridgeFH.the reactions 😂🙌 pic.twitter.com/KydNhGsoeoAugust 29, 2024
In the video, Biles says to the camera: "They were so excited. Oh my god. It's like usually the boy will just pass and be like 'Yup.' But they were so excited, that was so cool."
Biles also posted the same video on X via her social media account, clearly just excited as the Indiana Fever players.
"EVERYONE WATCHES WOMENS SPORTS 🫶🏽 so happy to be able to go support!" she wrote on the platform. "My first of many WNBA games 🤞🏽."
Thomas also commented on the meeting on X, posting: "First WNBA game of many! Had so much fun supporting these stars 🙌🏾."
The Olympian and the WNBA star meeting carried significant meaning, not just for women's sports but in the wake of some minor controversy surrounding Clark not making the Paris 2024 women's basketball team.
"It makes me think of like that's your time in college. And I feel like I was just a freshman in college," she told reporters after the roster was released and she did not make the cut. "So it shows you that you know you got to start working now if you want that to be your dream in four years. So I think that's just that's it for me is like, you know, work hard, and hopefully you can be there."
In addition to bringing more attention to women's sports, which is soaring in popularity (finally), Biles has also continued to highlight the importance of mental health.
In a recent interview with TODAY co-anchor Hoda Kotb for her podcast, Making Space with Hoda Kotb, Biles opened up about how vital therapy and continued, consistent mental health care was during the Paris Summer Olympics.
“I feel a lot more free, especially going to therapy and doing those sessions so that physically and mentally I feel better, and I know that's an important part of my routine," she said at the time. "So just staying on top of that, it lightens the load a lot."
