Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade is opening up about the touching display of sportsmanship shown by Team USA’s Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles during the Olympic games.
Biles and Chiles initiated what fans quickly described as the ultimate sign of respect when Andrade captured the gold medal in the floor exercise competition.
“It was amazing. I think they understood that it was a very special and important moment for me, and at the same time for us,” she told a Brazilian TV program, according to MSN.
Andrade has won six Olympic medals, and the Paris floor exercise yielded her second gold. She won a gold in the vault competition in Tokyo.
She has fought through three torn ACLs, the last coming in 2019. Taking the podium in Paris was a sign of remarkable perseverance.
RELATED: Simone Biles And Jordan Chiles Pay Ultimate Respect To Rebeca Andrade After Gold At Summer Olympics
Bowing Before Rebeca Andrade
Rebeca Andrade’s performance caught the attention of Biles and Chiles on the podium and they immediately paid tribute to her accomplishment.
After Andrade had the gold medal placed around her neck, the two American gymnasts bowed to her on the podium.
This is everything. pic.twitter.com/FrXz7wWtQg
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) August 5, 2024
Rebeca Andrade is the most decorated Brazilian and Latin American gymnast of all time. Biles is the most decorated American gymnast of all time. The respect was off the charts.
Part of the reason the moment was special was due to what the media lauded as the first “all-black podium” narrative.
“There were three black women there representing so many things,” said Andrade. “It was so special, it was historic, it had never happened before.”
RELATED: A Defiant Jordan Chiles Has ‘No Plans’ To Give Back Her Bronze Medal
A Sensational Moment
Unfortunately, the moment has since been marred by controversy involving Chiles, who has been stripped of her bronze medal in the floor routine, something she has called “unjust” and “devastating.”
Romania’s Ana Bărbosu has officially placed third in the competition, but Chiles has no plans to return the medal.
Still, Andrade has said the moment of ultimate respect from her Team USA rivals wasn’t just a tribute to her, but to all the women like them who compete in such a grueling sport.
“I think it wasn’t just a tribute to me, but to all the girls, women and people who had worked so hard to show that it’s possible – that it can happen, that we deserve to be there,” she said.
“And because it was a special moment for me, because I believe they really understood it too, that’s why they did it.”
Andrade described the moment as “sensational.”
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