Caitlin Clark proved Sue Bird right with her perfect response to 'dream' Olympic agony

Caitlin Clark has justified Sue Bird's prediction of her being the WNBA Rookie of the Year with an outstanding performance against the Dallas Wings on Sunday.

In the Indiana Fever's thrilling 110-109 victory over the Wings, Clark racked up 35 points from 10-of-22 field goals, six three-pointers, eight assists and two rebounds in her 36 minutes on court . She was joined by Kelsey Mitchell who contributed 30 points to the win.

While both teammates scoring 30 points each was noteworthy, Clark's performance was arguably more impressive as she broke another record. The 22-year-old now holds the record for the most points scored by a rookie in a single season , surpassing WNBA legend Simone Augustus' 2006 record of 744 points.

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Currently, Clark has 761 points with one game left in the regular season. To break the 800-point mark, she needs to score at least 39 points against the Washington Mystics.

However, with the Fever already securing a playoff spot, it would be wise for Indiana head coach Christie Sides not to overuse her star guard, reports the Mirror US .

Furthermore, with Clark continuing to smash records and Angel Reese out for the season, the Rookie of the Year race seems to be a foregone conclusion, with Clark expected to clinch the award. If and when Clark receives the award, it will recall the prediction made by Bird during the Olympic Break.

During the intense competition for the award, Reese and Clark were smashing records left, right, and centre. However, Bird had no doubts about her pick for rookie of the year, saying in August: "For Rookie of the Year, I don't really do the stat comparison. Yeah, it can help inform things when it's tight, for sure... I just do the eye test and to me, she's Rookie of the Year."

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Despite Clark's phenomenal season and clinching the Rookie of the Year title, she was surprisingly left off the American team heading to Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games. Even though many believed Clark had earned her spot on Team USA, she didn't make the cut.

Clark, however, took this setback in stride, using it as motivation to improve her game. Speaking to ESPN, the Fever star expressed her support for the selected team: "I'm excited for the girls that are on the team," she said.

"I know it's the most competitive team in the world and I know it could have gone either way -- me being on the team or me not being on the team. I'm going to be rooting them on to win gold. I was a kid that grew up watching the Olympics, so it will be fun to watch them."

She remained undaunted by the snub, seeing it as an incentive to achieve her dreams: "Honestly, no disappointment. It just gives me something to work for; it's a dream. Hopefully one day I can be there. I think it's just a little more motivation. You remember that. Hopefully when four years comes back around, I can be there."

Team USA bagged the gold without Clark, but it seems some reckon the rookie deserved a shot. Dawn Staley, from the selection committee, conceded that if they had another go, Clark would be under "really high consideration" for the team.

Clark bounced back in style despite the letdown, clinching the Rookie of the Year title. Plus, she's set to spearhead the Fever's playoff charge, aiming to break their drought since 2016.

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