Fans of the Olympics celebrated Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles on Monday after the American pair bowed to Rebeca Andrade following the Brazilian’s gold medal win in the floor exercise in Paris.
Andrade made history by becoming the first gymnast to defeat the dominant Biles in a floor final at a major international event, scoring 14.166, which narrowly edged out Biles, who scored 14.133.
Biles secured the silver medal in the floor exercise finals on Monday, marking her fourth medal in Paris and her 11th Olympic medal overall, despite a routine that included several costly steps outside the designated area.
Jordan Chiles, a close friend and teammate of Biles, took home the bronze medal, and the duo chose to honor Andrade from the podium.
As Andrade celebrated her victory with raised arms, both Biles and Chiles kneeled and bowed to her in a show of respect.
Olympics fans hailed Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles for bowing to Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade
Regarding their decision, Biles shared that Chiles asked, ‘Should we bow to her?’ to which Biles responded, ‘Absolutely. It was just the right thing to do.’
The act sparked a flurry of activity on social media, with one fan commenting that it exemplified ‘the true spirit of the Olympics.’
Another user wrote: ‘Beautiful. It’s great to see Rebeca Andrade receive her recognition!’
A third fan added: ‘Respect! This is what makes sports so beautiful. Congrats.’
‘The humility shown by Biles, who certainly wished for gold after a disappointing prior event, is commendable. Congrats to Rebeca,’ another supporter remarked.
‘A picture that perfectly encapsulates the true spirit of the Olympics,’ another user concluded.
At 27 years old, Biles, widely regarded as the greatest gymnast ever, didn’t perform at her usual level during a routine set to music by Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.
She will return home with gold medals for the team event, all-around, and vault, alongside a surprising silver in her signature event.
Olympics fans were quick to praise both Biles and Chiles for the touching gesture in Paris
‘I couldn’t be prouder of how I’ve performed,’ said Biles. ‘I’m 27 years old and walking away from this Games with four more medals to add to my collection. I’m happy about it.’
With her total of medals (seven gold, two silver, and two bronze), Biles matches Czechoslovakia’s Vera Caslavska for the second-most medals won by a female gymnast in Olympic history.
Biles missed the opportunity to secure a fifth medal in Paris earlier Monday when she fell during the beam final, finishing in fifth place.
Although she often makes it appear effortless, it can be quite challenging. During her floor warm-up, she fell to the mat and had her troublesome left calf re-wrapped before competing due to a tweak she had sustained during qualifiers last week.
Chiles, as the final competitor of the day, initially received a score of 13.666 from the judges. After some deliberation, the score was increased by 0.1 when she raised an inquiry about the difficulty component, allowing her to surpass Romanians Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea and claim third place.
The trio held hands as they celebrated their success on the final day of gymnastics in Paris
Biles fell over as she warmed up for her floor routine, seemingly aggravating a calf problem
Earlier on, Biles had to step off the beam after becoming unbalanced during her routine
Biles’ silver in the floor event came just an hour after a beam final where half of the eight competitors stumbled off mid-routine due to balance issues.
Biles was among them; she lost her balance towards the end of her acrobatic series, scoring 13.100 and placing fifth, tied with teammate Sunisa Lee.
Similarly, Lee’s gold aspirations were dashed when she fell during the same segment of her routine as Biles.
After the event, the two Olympic champions and long-time friends, who collectively own 17 Olympic medals, reflected on the unusual atmosphere of the eerily quiet arena.
‘It adds to the stress because it’s like you’re the only one up there,’ stated Lee, who plans to take some time off to consider her future. ‘I felt the pressure.’
The gold medal on the beam went to Italy’s Alice D´Amato with a score of 14.366, while China’s Zhou Yaqin earned silver with 14.100, just ahead of bronze medalist Manila Esposito of Italy.
