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SYFY WIRE Minions

Despicable Squee! Even those adorable Minions are big fans of Olympic champion Simone Biles

By Nivea Serrao
screenshot of Simone Biles Minions Ad

Minions. They're just like us! And as a new ad for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics on NBC Sports shows, they also geek out when meeting one of their heroes. In this case, it's Olympic champion and record medal holder in gymnastics, Simone Biles. 

The video (below) shows Biles — who has won 30 medals at the Olympics and the World Gymnastics Championships combined, 23 of which are gold — get into the mental zone as she warms up on the balance beam. "Every morning when I step into the gym, I ask myself the same question," she narrates, over footage of herself going through different moves. "Why just live up to people's expectations when you can defy them?"

However, all of that quickly comes to a halt as one hopeful Minion inches over so they can ask for an autograph, which Biles immediately obliges, even gifting that particular supervillain-sidekicks-turned-franchise-star with a kiss on the head. 

Of course, this isn't the only spot NBC Sports is releasing ahead of the global competition which will kick off on July 23. Another promo sees swimmer Caeleb Dressel be interrupted during his practice in the pool by a Minion hoping to show off their own prowess. Not only does Dressel hold a record eight medals from the 2019 World Championships, but he also broke Michael Phelps' world record in the 100-meter butterfly there. And as his promo reveals, he's not too bad at the cannonball either.

"It was a natural idea to bring together the best of U.S. and these global animated icons for surprise-and-delight moments with Simone Biles and Caeleb Dressel," said Chief Marketing Officer For Entertainment and Sports at NBCUniversal Jenny Storms in a statement to Entertainment Weekly. "These memorable, fun, family-friendly pieces will drive anticipation for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics as well as for Illumination's upcoming film, Minions: The Rise of Gru." 

Of course, this isn't the only place the loveable creatures have been turning up. They're also the stars of their own little digital series: #SaturdayMorningMinions which drops on Facebook and Instagram at 10 a.m. ET, and continues every Saturday for the next 40 weeks. 

Minions: The Rise of Gru will arrive in theaters on July, followed a few weeks later by the Olympics, which will air on NBC starting from July 23.