"She hugged me; I haven't gotten changed, and I probably won't" - Podcast host expresses her awe after meeting Venus Williams
Very rarely does an everyday person meet a star athlete such as Venus Williams, let alone train with them. As such, one cannot begin to imagine the sheer amount of awe and thrill one would experience if they came across such an individual during their daily routine.
This is exactly what happened to Phoebe Parsons, a podcast (GoodFeels) host for Ladbible Australia. She met and trained with Williams at a gym in Hamilton, Australia.
Williams unfortunately recently had to withdraw from the 2023 Australian Open due to injury. She is likely already on her way back to the United States given she trained with Parsons on her last day in Australia.
The Aussie podcast host made her stunning revelation on social media. She highlighted how she chanced upon the American star at the gym she has been going to regularly for the past six years.
"Guys this is not a drill, I just trained with Venus Williams. Venus motherflippin Williams. So she's in Brisbane, she flies home today, and my best friend owns F45 training at Hamilton, which I've been training at like nearly six years now. And this morning Venus Williams was there," Parsons said.
Parsons stressed how coming across star athletes such as Williams is a "once-in-a-lifetime" event. She also hilariously joked that she would not change her clothes after being hugged by the seven-time Major champion.
"Like it's not every day or even once-in-a-lifetime that you actually get to train with one of the world's best and most famous athletes. She hugged me, I haven't gotten changed, and to be honest, I probably won't," Parsons added.
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She also took to Instagram to post an image of herself with Williams.
"Does working out with @venuswilliams make me an athlete? #notaskingforafriend #askingforme," was the caption.
Venus Williams will miss the Australian Open for the second year in a row
![Venus Williams [left] and Serena Williams with their respective Australian Open 2017 trophies](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/01/95ffe-16733729173737-1920.jpg)
Two-time Australian Open runner-up Venus Williams will miss the 2023 edition of the event. This is the second year in a row that the American will not participate in the tournament.
Since first appearing in the event way back in 1998, the American only missed the tournament on three occasions (2000, 2007, and 2012) before withdrawing from the 2022 edition.
The 42-year-old injured herself during her time in Auckland recently, where she took part in the 2023 ASB Classic. After winning her opener against Katie Volynets in straight sets, Williams lost to Lin Zhu in a closely-contested three-set affair in the second round.