Simone Biles becomes the most recognizable athlete, beats Caitlin Clark and Rafael Nadal in popularity 

Simone Biles surpassed the likes of Rafael Nadal, Caitlin Clark, Katie Ledecky, and Bronny James to become the most recognized athlete. Biles had a successful year, during which, she won the national championships before enjoying an impressive campaign at the Paris Olympics.

At the Games, she helped the United States women's team win gold while amassing two more individual golds and a silver.

According to a fan post, Biles amassed 92% votes from New York Times subscribers as they identified her through a facial recognition quiz. With this, she became the most recognized athlete, surpassing big names like Rafael Nadal (56%), Caitlin Clark (73%), and Katie Ledecky (50%).

Having made her senior national debut in 2013, the 27-year-old clinched titles at the City of Jesolo trophy and the National Gymnastics Championships. Her incredible feat at the 2013 World Championships made her the second American after Shannon Miller to qualify for all four event finals and the all-around.

Until the 2023 edition, she collected 30 World Championship medals, the most for any gymnast in history.

Simone Biles once expressed that she couldn't wrap her head around her first gold win at the Paris Olympics

Simone Biles at the Olympic Games Paris 2024: (Source: Getty)

Biles' Tokyo Olympic setback garnered criticism from global fans, as she had already stood on the pedestal since her remarkable five-medal winning feat at the Rio Olympics (as shared by the Olympian in Simone Biles Rising I).

Despite that, she made a strong comeback in 2023 and her way up to the top in Paris. Though it was a usual sight for her fans, the Olympian could hardly believe her gold wins at the Games.

""Going into tonight, we did what we were supposed to, but it felt a little but different. It was super exciting. We had fun. We enjoyed each other's time out there and we just did our gymnastics. I couldn't believe it, and I was just so excited. Like, did this really just happen? You almost don't want the night to go away because then you're resetting for a couple more days of competition," she said in Simone Biles Rising II. (20:00 onwards)

Biles has become a regular at her husband Jonathan Owens' NFL games after she concluded the second edition of the Gold Over America tour on November 3, 2024.