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Michelle Obama has strongly defended Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles after an NFL player described the pair’s behaviour on the podium as “disgusting”.
In an image that has become one of the moments of the Games so far, Biles and Chiles, who won silver and bronze respectively in the women’s floor final Earlier this week, he bowed to Brazilian champion Rebeca Andrade as she came up to receive her gold medal.
While the image of the American duo serenading Andrade went viral on social media (with many calling it one of the most moving scenes of the Games), Marlon Humphrey He disagreed with his behavior.
The Baltimore Ravens cornerback called it “disgusting” after sharing the image on social media website X.
But Obama came to the defense of the American gymnasts. In an article published in X, he said: “I still can’t get over this beautiful moment of sisterhood and sportsmanship!
“You can feel the love radiating from these women,” she added. “Congratulations Rebecca, Jordan and Simone!”
On her decision to serenade Andrade on the podium, Biles said: “It was an all-black podium, which is super exciting for us. Jordan was like, should we bow to her? And I was like, absolutely. It was the right thing to do.”
This is not the first time that an American team has been attacked.
Humphey came under fire from social media users after posting his comment, which is not the first time the US team has been targeted in recent months. The group’s work ethic was clearly on display in the build-up to Paris after one of their former teammates described them as “lazy”.
MyKayla Skinner, who won a silver on vault in Tokyo after Biles withdrew from competition due to mental health issues, sparked controversy last June when she criticized the team’s talent and commitment beyond Biles.
Skinner made the provocative comments in a video posted to YouTube after this year’s U.S. Olympic trials, where she was not selected for the American team. Her comments sparked a huge backlash and she later issued a formal apology.
Biles and her team, consisting of Sunisa Lee, Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera, apparently used Skinner’s comments as motivation for their Olympic campaign. After winning team gold last week, Biles posted a photo on Instagram with the caption “lack of talent, laziness, Olympic champions.”
The United States led the gymnastics medal table in Paris, winning three gold, one silver and six bronze medals.
