There’s no shortage of iconic names when it comes to popularity in the sporting realm, both in the world and in the US. From Cristiano Ronaldo to LeBron James and Stephen Curry, the list of athletes/sports figures who have inspired generations is abundant. And yet, Nadia Comaneci remains a name that commands reverence even almost half a century after the night that throttled her to the high pedestal. But for Comaneci, Simone Biles seems to be the persona that takes the top spot.

Comaneci established herself in gymnastics’ elite pantheon for good thanks to her legendary “Perfect 10”, the first in gymnastics history, in the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Her stupifying routine forever sealed her place as a generational athlete, who changed the sport forever. But for the Romanian, Biles looks to be the young Turk who can take over the baton.

Simone Biles symbolizes women’s power, says Nadia Comaneci

In an interview with Olympics.com, the gymnastics legend spoke her mind about the four-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles. Comaneci believes Biles is the athlete who will be remembered for defining a whole generation. While both James and Curry consistently come up on the higher tiers when it comes to the most popular athletes of today, Comaneci thinks Simone Biles should easily be the one to reign on top of the list.

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In a survey conducted by Statista in 2022, both the NBA legends topped the list of most popular athletes among Gen Z, with 41% votes each. These two NBA Finals MVPs share a sensational list of accolades among themselves and are justifiably two of the most significant athletes in the country, despite having retired years ago. However, for Comaneci, it’s Simone Biles who takes the cake.

“She’s the gymnast, slash athlete, of this generation“, Nadia stated in the interview without deliberation. Along with being the USA’s most decorated gymnast ever, Biles is also the mouthpiece of women’s empowerment, Comaneci holds the opinion. “She’s the one to show the power of women and the power of, ‘This is me. This is who I am and nobody’s going to stop me. I want to open doors, I want to show what I can do,’“, said gymnastics’ arguably biggest name of all time.

“I think it’s great for the sport because she motivated and encourages little girls to play sports.“, Comaneci went on to elaborate on her take on Biles’ accomplishments. But this wouldn’t be the first time that the veteran bestowed praising words on Biles.

Comaneci puts her eggs in the Biles’ basket

Last year, during the 2023 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, Comaneci affirmed her admiration of Simone Biles’ electric display of skills. “She’s this generation’s modern idol right now“, commented Comaneci of Biles’ position as one of the world’s best athletes today. Not stopping just there, Nadia also thought that Simone has what it takes to pave a new pathway for gymnastics with her own achievements, enabling others to follow in her footsteps. “I say that almost every half of a century somebody comes [and changes the sport],“, mentioned Comaneci last year.

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“Nobody’s even close“, Comaneci obviously holds high regard for her successor and thinks that Biles’ accolades will only help to garner more support for the sport. While Nadia’s confidence in the 27-year-old speaks volumes of the latter’s mettle, it waits to be seen if the upcoming Olympic Games places the two in the same league.

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