Olympic fans cheered Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles on Monday after the American duo bowed to Rebeca Andrade following the Brazilian’s floor gold in Paris.
Andrade became the first gymnast to beat the all-around powerhouse Biles in a floor final at a major international competition, posting a score of 14.166 that finished just ahead of Biles’ 14.133.
Biles won silver in the floor exercise final on Monday (her fourth medal in Paris and 11th Olympic medal overall) after a routine that included a pair of costly out-of-bounds steps.
Jordan Chiles, a longtime friend and teammate of Biles, won bronze and they decided to honor Andrade on the podium.
As the Brazilian raised her arms in celebration of her victory, Biles and Chiles knelt and bowed to her.
Olympic fans praised Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles for bowing to Brazilian Rebeca Andrade
Speaking about her decision to do so, Biles revealed that Chiles asked: ‘Should we bow down to her?’
Biles responded: “Of course. It was the right thing to do.”
The gesture lit up social media when one fan described it as “the true spirit of the Olympics.”
Another wrote: ‘Beautiful. Great to see Rebeca Andrade receiving her praise!’
A third posted: “Respect! This is what makes sport so beautiful. Congratulations.”
“Biles’ humility is admirable. She would have wanted gold after the disappointment of the previous event. Congratulations to Rebecca,” commented another fan.
“One image is enough to tell the true spirit of the Olympic Games,” added another.
Biles, 27, widely considered the greatest in the history of the sport, was not at her usual best during a routine set to music by Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.
She goes home with gold medals in the team, all-around and vault finals and a surprise silver in her signature event.
Olympic fans were quick to praise both Biles and Chiles for the touching gesture in Paris.
“I couldn’t be more proud of what I’ve done,” Biles said. “I’m 27 years old and I’m leaving these Games with four medals to add to my collection. I’m not upset about it.”
Biles’ medal total (including seven gold, two silver and two bronze) ties Czechoslovakia’s Vera Caslavska for second for the most medals won by a female gymnast in Olympic history.
She missed out on a chance to add a fifth medal in Paris on Monday morning when she fell during the beam final and finished in fifth place.
Although it may seem easy at times, it is not. He fell to the ground with a sharp blow during warm-up and before competing he had to re-bandage the left calf he injured during qualifying last week.
Chiles – the final competitor of the day – initially received a 13.666 from the judges.
After some delay, her total was increased by 0.1 when she submitted a query about the difficulty component of her score. That moved Chiles past Romanians Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea into third place.
The trio held hands as they celebrated their success on the final day of gymnastics in Paris.
Biles fell while warming up for her floor routine, apparently aggravating a calf problem.
Earlier, Biles had to step off the beam after losing her balance during her routine.
Biles’ floor silver came about an hour after a beam final in which half of the eight women in the field found themselves jumping in the middle of their routine after losing their balance.
Biles included. She lost her balance at the end of her acrobatic series and received a score of 13.100 to finish in fifth place, tied with teammate Sunisa Lee.
Like Biles, Lee saw her hopes of winning gold end midway through her routine when she fell during the same part of her routine as Biles.
Afterwards, the two Olympic champions and long-time friends, who have a staggering total of 17 Olympic medals between them, lamented the strange atmosphere in an eerily quiet stadium.
“It adds to the stress because it’s like you’re the only one up there,” said Lee, who will take some time off before making a decision about her future. “I felt pressure.”
Italy’s Alice D’Amato took gold on beam with a score of 14.366. China’s Zhou Yaqin won silver with a score of 14.100, just ahead of bronze medalist Manila Esposito of Italy.