Rebeca Andrade won gold in the women's floor exercise at the Paris Olympics on Monday. In order to take the gold home to Brazil, Andrade had to best Team USA's Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles after finishing behind the Americans in three other events during the 2024 Games.
When she finally did break through to win she was congratulated by Biles and then surprised on the podium as Biles and Chiles bowed. Biles and Chiles revealed the motivation behind the move while talking to the press after the event.
The story behind Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles’ viral bow to Rebeca Andrade after she won gold on floor at #Paris2024#artisticgymnastics #olympics pic.twitter.com/go3E7rQ1aq
— Gymnastics Now (@Gymnastics_Now) August 5, 2024
"She's so amazing," said Biles. "She's queen. And first it was an all-Black podium so that was super exciting for us. But Jordan was like should we bow to her and I was like absolutely. So we're like are we going to do it now and then that's why we did it. She's such an excitement to watch and then all the fans in the crowd, always cheering for her so it just, it was just the right thing to do. She's queen."
"She's an icon, a legend herself," said Chiles. "So I feel like being recognized is what everbody should do when it comes to somebody who's put in the work, put in the dedication. So yeah, in that moment I was like you know what, first off, again, yes it was an all-Black podium. Second off, why don't we just give her her flowers. She's given, 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."
An iconic moment shared by three iconic gymnasts that resulted in many iconic images. What more could you ask for?
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles Reveal Classy Message Behind Olympic Bow to Rebeca Andrade.
