A heartwarming display of sportsmanship by two American gymnasts has won praise from fans in a viral moment that lit up social media and is likely to become another enduring image of the Paris Olympics.
It all happened Monday when Brazilian gymnastics gold medalist Rebeca Andrade approached the podium for the medal ceremony following a women’s floor final full of twists and turns.
Showing no hard feelings, American duo Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles turned to Andrade from the lower section of the podium and bowed to the Brazilian, who raised her arms in triumph.
The golden moment, which also marked the first all-Black Olympics gymnastics podium, touched hearts on social media.
“This is everything,” said a post on the Olympics’ official X account underneath a photo of the moment that has been viewed more than 26 million times.
“Maybe we should hang it in the Louvre…,” replied the official account of the world-renowned Paris art museum in a post with more than 22,000 likes.
Under a video of the ceremony, viewed more than 300,000 time on Instagram, Nigerian-American basketball player Atonye Nyingifa said: “Love to see great sportsmanship!!!”
Fenwa Famakinwa Milhouse, another Instagram user, said: “Literal tears – this is how we show up for one another. It’s beautiful to see.”
Biles, the most decorated American Olympic gymnast of all time, appeared to have put together another stunning performance but landing out of bounds twice cost the US star six-tenths of a point, enough to bring her score down to 14.133 behind gold medalist Andrade, who scored a 14.166.
But Biles, who now has 11 Olympic medals including seven golds, seemed to take the disappointment in her stride as she hailed Andrade as the new ruler of the floor.
“She’s so amazing. She’s queen,” Biles said of Andrade on Monday. “And first it was an all-Black podium, so that was super exciting for us. But then Jordan was like, ‘Should we bow to her?’ And I was like, ‘Absolutely.’ So we’re like, ‘Are we gonna do it now?’ And then, that’s why we did it.”
Chiles, who won bronze in a dramatic twist after she challenged the judges’ score, said she wanted to make sure that Andrade got the praise she felt the Brazilian deserved and that the new gold medalist is one of the kinder competitors to go up against.
“You know, she’s an icon, a legend herself,” Chiles said. “So I feel like being recognized is what everybody 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 … first off, again, yes, it was an all-Black podium. Second off, why don’t we just give her flowers? She’s given, you know, not only has she given Simone her flowers, but a lot of us on, in the United States our flowers as well, so giving it back is what makes it so beautiful. So I felt like it was needed.”
