Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles have shared the reason behind their bow to Rebeca Andrade after she won the gold medal in floor exercise at the Paris Olympics. Biles and Chiles won silver and bronze, respectively.
During the medal ceremony, Biles and Chiles warmed the hearts of fans with their unprecedented honor towards the Brazilian gymnast.
Rebeca Andrade exits the Paris Olympics with a gold medal on floor exercise, two silvers from the women’s artistic individual all-around and vault routine, and a bronze from the women’s team all-around event.
Simone Biles lauded Andrade for her resilience which saw her overcome three ACL injuries to become an Olympic champion. Biles added that the podium was dominated by Black women, making the event even more exciting. The seven-time Olympic champion noted that it is always fun to watch Andrade and she brings excitement to the fans at the Bercy Arena.
"She is so amazing, she is queen. First of all, it was an all-Black podium so that was super exciting for us. But then Jordan was like ‘Should we bow to her?’ and I was like, ‘Absolutely.’," Biles told the reporters.
"So we're like ‘Are we going to do that now?’ and then that’s when we did it. But then, she is such an excitement to watch and then all the fans in the crowd always cheering for her so it was the right thing to do, she is queen," she added.
Jordan Chiles chimed in, explaining that Andrade has always given the American athletes their "flowers" and she thought that it was the right time to honor her.
Chiles added that the 25-year-old is a hardworking athlete who has put in the work to get to the top level and she continues dominating.
"She is a legend an icon herself, so I feel like being recognized is what everybody should do when it comes to somebody who has put in the work, put in the dedication," Chiles told the media.
"So yeah, at that moment I was like, ‘You know it was an all-Black podium, second of all, why don’t we just give her flowers because not only has she given Simone her flowers but a lot of us in the United States our flowers as well.’ Giving it back is what makes it so beautiful. I felt like it was needed," she added.
Rebeca Andrade beats Simone Biles for first time at Paris Olympics 2024 in floor exercise
Rebeca Andrade was majestic as she showcased her skills on the floor to take the win ahead of Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles.
The 25-year-old scored 14.166 points to carry the day as Simone Biles came in second with 14.133. Chiles completed the podium with 13.766 points.
At the Paris Olympics, the event marked the first time Andrade beat Simone Biles. In all the individual events the duo has clashed, the latter emerged on top with the former coming in second.
Biles claimed wins on the vault routine and women’s artistic individual all-around with Andrade coming in second in the two events.