The women’s gymnastics event at the 2024 Paris Olympics has concluded, featuring a mix of new and familiar faces on the podium. Among them were Simone Biles from the USA and Rebeca Andrade from Brazil. The duo turned heads with their rivalry throughout the quadrennial event, sharing memorable and heartfelt moments.
Both Biles and Andrade excelled in terms of medals won in the French capital and secured four each. However, in the race for gold, it was the 27-year-old who stood out the most.
Biles secured three gold medals in the team final, vault, and all-around, along with a silver in the floor exercise. She could have added one more, but a fall on the balance beam led to a fifth-place finish, just ahead of her compatriot Suni Lee. She also did not advance to the uneven bars final.
Meanwhile, Andrade won gold in the floor exercise, silver in both vault and all-around, and bronze in the team final. Like her rival, she did not qualify for the uneven bars final and finished fourth on the balance beam.
Simone Biles holds the lead in terms of overall Olympic medals. Besides her exploits in Paris, she won four golds in Rio (team final, all-around, vault, and floor exercise) and a bronze in the balance beam. At Tokyo, she took home silver and bronze in the team final and balance beam, respectively, before withdrawing midway. This totals an impressive 11 medals at the Summer Games.
Meanwhile, Rebeca Andrade earned most of her Olympic medals in Paris. She also claimed gold in vault and silver in all-around at Tokyo, bringing her total to six—five short of her American rival.
A look into Simone Biles and Rebeca Andrade's medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics:
Simone Biles: "I'm excited and proud to compete with Rebeca Andrade, but I don't like it no more"
After battling Rebeca Andrade for the gold in the all-around final at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Simone Biles told reporters she was "excited" and "proud" to compete alongside the Brazilian.
However, the American joked that she didn’t enjoy the experience as much because the rivalry had put her under a lot of "stress."
"I'm excited and proud to compete with [Rebeca Andrade], but I don't like it no more. I mean, I'm getting uncomfortable, guys. I don’t like that feeling. I was stressing," Biles said.
The 27-year-old added:
"I don't want to compete with Rebeca no more. I'm tired. She's way too close. I've never had an athlete that close, so it definitely put me on my toes and it brought up the best athlete in myself."
Overall, the US women's gymnastics team brought home a total of eight medals from Paris. Alongside Biles, Suni Lee secured two bronze medals in uneven bars and all-around, while Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles each won bronze in vault and floor exercise.