A 5-year-old gymnast shared her balance beam routine on Instagram, amassing over 40 million views and more than 30,000 comments, including one from Simone Biles.
In the video, the 5-year-old named Nova wears a Team USA leotard as she does a number of tricks on a beam in her living room, including handstands, backbends and even a backflip.
The video quickly got a lot of attention, including from Biles, who commented, “the little strut [clapping emoji] Get it girl!!!!”
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“We were at her gymnastics practice and I told her about it during her break and she was so excited, she immediately took my phone and was showing the comment to all her teammates proudly,” Tiffany Davidson, who runs her daughter’s @missnovagirl Instagram account, told Fox News Digital of the moment Nova found out Biles had commented on her post.
Nova has been participating in gymnastics since she was 3 years old. Her mom began posting her daughter’s journey on Instagram, and has built a strong following of supporters, and this particular viral video has allowed her to be noticed by celebrities, including Biles, Joscelyn Roberson and Hezley Rivera.
“It [has] allowed her to see that gymnastics is so much bigger than just her gym. It’s a whole community, and it’s been great meeting new people,” Davidson said of her daughter’s Instagram account.
Back in January of last year, Nova got to meet Biles at an event. The experience of meeting her idol was captured and posted to Nova’s Instagram.
In the video, Biles signs a copy of her book, “Flying High,” and gives the excited young girl a huge hug.
“It was a very sweet moment,” Davidson told Fox News Digital. “Leading up to it, Nova had planned all the things that she wanted to say to Simone, but when she saw her she was so starstruck that she barely said much. She even forgot her age when Simone asked her.”
“But Simone was the sweetest and even remembered Nova from her previous viral video asking me if Simone farts. And although Nova didn’t say much, after the fact, she brings up meeting her often, and it’s definitely a core memory for her,” Davidson said.
Biles’ comment on the aspiring young gymnast’s post came amid the USA women’s gymnastics team competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics, where they ended up securing the gold.
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This year’s Olympic Games marked a triumphant return for Biles, after dropping out of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to experiencing the “twisties.”
The gold medal won by the team consisting of Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Hezly Rivera and Jade Carey makes Biles the most decorated U.S. Olympic gymnast of all-time. This win marks the eighth Olympic medal earned by Biles.
The 27-year-old gymnast has won five Olympic gold medals, and eight overall.
Through Biles’ victory, the 5-year-old gymnast has been cheering her on from home, with several posts on her account showing support for Team USA, including one of young Nova cropped into a team photo of the Olympic gymnasts.
“She is so excited for them,” Davidson said. “We watched together, and she was thrilled to see them win.”
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