After her silver-medal score came in during the women's floor exercise final at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Simone Biles went over to Rebeca Andrade to give her a high-five and a big hug.
Brazilian, Andrade, edged Biles out for the gold medal and the accolades from Biles didn't stop once the scores were announced. When she stepped on the podium, Simone and bronze medallist, Jordan Chiles, then bowed down on either side of her and grabbed her hands as she was awarded the gold medal.
“It was an ‘all-Sister’ podium for the first time,” Biles said. “I couldn’t miss that opportunity.”
Andrade became the most-decorated Brazilian athlete in history after finishing with four medals (one gold, two silver, one bronze) after Biles appeared to tweak her calf during landing a tumbling pass during warmups and re-taped her calf ahead of her floor routine. She had also complained of her calf earlier in the competition, but she stepped out of bounds twice during her routine.
Before her score was announced, she was heard on camera speculating on what may happen on the podium. Simone scored 14.133, just fractions of a point behind Andrade's score of 14.166.
Meanwhile, Chiles scored 13.766 and initially finished in fourth place, but after submitting an inquiry, the judges updated her score, which saw he gain a spot on the podium.
"I have so much respect for Rebeca,” Bile said. “She's such a good competitor and he kept me on my toes.
“It was an honour to get to compete with her." Biles had previously echoed a similar sentiment after winning the women's all-around finals, where Andrade finished closely behind her to secure the silver medal.
"I don’t want to compete with Rebeca anymore! I’m tired. She’s very close to me — I’ve never had an athlete so close," Biles said during a press conference. "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."
She added: "I’ve never been so stressed before. Thank you, Rebeca."
