The Paris Olympics just made gymnastics history – again.
Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles secured second and third place, respectively, at the Paris Olympics women’s floor final — and made sure to literally bow down to gold medalist Rebeca Andrade from Brazil. But it wasn’t just one finisher that deserved the praise, all three of the medaled Olympians that made up the first all-Black gymnastics podium.
But it wasn’t just one finisher that deserved the praise; all three of the medaled Olympians made up the first all-Black podium in men’s or women’s gymnastics at the Olympics.
After the historic moment, Andrade spoke to reporters touching on the triumph.
“We can show the Black Power,” Andrade said after the final. “I love myself, my skin color. But I’m also not focused on that. Rebeca goes beyond her color,” the gymnast said, speaking in the third person.
“And the same goes for Jordan, for Simone. The idea is it serves as an incentive,” Andrade continued, explaining that while “sometimes it may be more difficult” for gymnasts because of their “skin color,” the trio has proven that “it’s possible” and “you can do it.”
Simone, 27, finished her iconic floor routine with a 14.133 score. After stepping out of bounds during her performance, the gymnastics GOAT received a penalty of -0.6 in deductions, but she couldn’t have been happier after completing her third Olympic Games. As for Jordan, 23, she initially scored a 13.166, which would have put her in fifth place. However, she challenged the difficulty score. Following a brief review, the judges updated her score to a 13.766, securing her in third place for the bronze medal.
After seeing the score change, Jordan hugged her coaches and Simone, visibly crying over the victory while the arena erupted into cheers.
For Rebeca’s part, the 25-year-old gymnast from Brazil received her first gold medal at the Paris Olympics, scoring a 14.166 from the judges. She is now Brazil’s most decorated Olympian in history.
While participating in the podium ceremony, Simone and Jordan made sure to show their support for Rebeca by bowing down to her. In response, Rebeca took both of their hands, and all three Olympians closed the final event in gymnastics together.
Following the medal ceremony, Jordan praised Rebeca while acknowledging the incredible feat of the trio.
Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles showed love to Rebeca Andrade after she won her first gold medal of the Paris Olympics ❤️ pic.twitter.com/feXEvnPyCx
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 5, 2024
“First off, it was an all-Black podium. Second off, why don’t we just give her her flowers?” Jordan said, per NBC. “Not only has she given Simone her flowers, but a lot of us in the United States. So giving it back is what makes it so beautiful. I felt like it was needed.”
Simone and Rebeca secured multiple medals during this year’s Olympics with scores that nearly aligned. Throughout the games, Simone praised her competitor and fellow gymnast, but the GOAT also joked that she doesn’t “want to compete with Rebeca anymore.”
The most-decorated gymnast of all time gets another medal: Simone Biles narrowly loses to Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade on the floor routine, takes silver for 11th Olympic medal. #BREAKING @News3LV https://t.co/QoItPigU3a
— Evan Schreiber (@SchreiberEvan) August 5, 2024
“I’m tired. She’s very close to me — I’ve never had an athlete so close,” Simone said during a press conference in Paris. “This definitely kept me alert and brought out the best athlete in me. So, I’m excited and proud to compete with her, but — no. I’ve never been so stressed before. Thank you, Rebeca.”
Simone added that she has “so much respect” for the Brazilian gymnast. “She’s so amazing, she’s queen,” Biles added of the gold medalist. “And first, it was an all-Black podium, so that was super exciting for us.”
Earlier this week, Andrade, Biles, and Suni Lee made history as the first all-around gymnast podium comprised entirely of people of color.
Last year, Biles, Andrade, and U.S. gymnast Shilese Jones made up the first all-Black podium at a World Artistic Gymnastics Championship event.
