“She’s this generation’s modern idol right now.” The massive words for Simone Biles came from someone who once introduced the world to a perfect Olympic milestone. 49 years ago, 14-year-old Nadia Comaneci claimed the first perfect ten in the Olympic gymnastics event. But when choosing an idol in the sport of twists and flips, the Romanian legend throws her weight on the Texas native. When Biles was competing in Paris, she was inspiring people all over the world, with her young fans particularly enamored by her.

Two years ago, Comaneci took Biles’s name as the perfect idol for the new generation of gymnasts. But it would be safe to say that Biles’s impact has transcended generations and she is proving to be an inspiration for a much younger audience. As Biles made history in Paris, we witnessed many young fans being inspired by her and sharing their aspirations, and one such fan has Biles’s heart.

On January 31, the Simone Biles Invitational came to life. The 3-day gymnastics pomp kicked off with the inaugural session of the Continuous Capital Cup at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Simone, however, had already made her journey to the venue. In the wee hours of January 31, the Olympian shared a few snapshots on her Instagram story, decked up to attend the gymnastics show. However, it was her next story that would melt more than a few hearts.

Biles reshared an adorable clip of a 3-year-old fan named Sloan making a phone call to her. In the clip, the adorable young fan tells her mother, “I need to call Sibone Miles now,” and starts pressing the buttons on her plushy toy mobile phone. We get to see the toddler having a make-believe conversation with the Olympic champion and Biles was enamored by Sloan’s cuteness and revealed that she met Sloan recently.

“My heart [emoji] I got to meet sweet Sloan today!!!! she did her sassy [emoji] pose w/me! so adorable! DAY MADE,” Biles captioned the story. Well, as per her mother, Alexandra K’s Instagram reel from three weeks ago, which Biles shared, Sloan has been feeling fandom over Simone since last year.

In the caption of the actual clip Alexandra wrote, “POV: A 3-year-old’s phone call with her idol.”  Well, Alexandra K’s post also claimed, “Ever since @olympics last year and especially after we went to @goldoveramericatour she tells everyone, every single time we see them that she “saw Sibone Miles and she did a BIGGGGG flip.” Well, if you think this is cuteness-overloaded, wait till you hear what Sloan had to say to Biles during her call.

She whispers to her mother that she has presents and says on her toy phone, “I have a balance beam for Christmas, Sibone Miles. What? You’ve a balance beam for Christmas. Awww..”  Further, in the caption of the post, her mother mentioned, “If only she [Sloan] knew what was coming at the end of the month! Can you guess?” 

Well, the Simone Biles International Invitational had a few events scheduled in the World Champions Centre, Texas, and going by Biles’ IG story, it turns out Sloan got to meet her idol after all.

Sloan’s love for Biles is nothing new as her mother has been sharing videos and pics of her toddler taking inspiration from the GOAT.

In one of the videos on her Instagram, we can see Sloan practicing a gymnastics routine. In the caption of the video, her mother noted, “When I say Sloan LOVES gymnastics?! Every time she puts a leotard on she says, “I’m Simone Biles again!” Well, as we know this isn’t the first time Biles is proving to a generational inspiration.

Last year, as she was competing in Paris, a video of a 6-year-old girl Sophia from Lafayette surface, where she talked about watching Biles perform while sharing Olympic ambitions of her own. Then a 5-year-old gymnast shared her balance beam routine on Instagram and drew attention from Biles

In the video, the girl named Nova does a number of tricks on a beam in her living room which led Biles to comment, “The little strut. Get it girl!!!!”  Nova also got to meet Biles at an event in 2023 and a video of it was posted to Nova’s Instagram. Meanwhile, in Paris, BBC reporter Betty Glover revealed a small exchange between Biles and a young admirer that left the fan in tears.

In a post on X, Glover noted, “A little French girl in the crowd behind me has been shouting Simone Biles name this whole time. Biles just finished her warm up on the bars & turned around & waved at her. The girl just burst into tears!! I’m not sure I’ve seen a female athlete have this much of an impact before.”

These events really lend life to Nadia Comaneci’s words about Biles being the “modern idol,” with so many young gymnasts looking up to her. Biles continues to leave an impression wherever she goes and this was evident during her recent Gold Over America Tour.

Simone Biles’s GOAT leaves an unforgettable impression 

It’s definitely worth going — I have been twice (traveled to one and one in the city I live in) and to see Simone in person is worth every penny. The atmosphere was unreal and to watch kids and adults excitement and the constant cheering and singing and “I love you Simone” throughout warmed my heart ❤️🐐.” The words came from a fan on Reddit in October last year.

Last year, a few weeks after the Paris Olympics, Simone Biles joined the GOAT tour. After a brief time off from the gymnastics mat, the 27-year-old showed up in the pop-themed gymnastics pomp in September. In the next eight weeks, she traveled throughout the American cities with her gymnastics colleagues as a part of the tour.

In the meantime, the fans flocked in massive numbers to every venue. Simone loved this overall scene as it wasn’t about making the business. Instead, her satisfaction came from noticing a big truth, but what was that? 

In an interaction, the gymnastics GOAT said, “It’s really about sharing that love and passion for the sport with the audience.” And Sloan’s fandom and that of many other young fans like her prove that Biles’s impact goes far beyond the mat.