The image is one of the most striking to come from the Paris Olympics.
Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade is standing on the podium with both fists in the air after winning the gold medal in the women’s floor competition. Below her on either side are U.S. gymnasts Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles, the silver and bronze medalists, bowing at Andrade’s feet.
All three women, who made up the first all-Black gymnastics podium in Olympics history, look as happy as can be.
The Olympics’ certified X account posted the image with the caption “This is everything.” The post is pinned to the top of the Games’ feed.
“Maybe we should hang it in the Louvre…” reads a comment from the certified account of the world famous art museum in Paris.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama reposted the photo on X and wrote: “I’m still not over this beautiful moment of sisterhood and sportsmanship! You can just feel the love shining through these ladies.”
The display of sportsmanship by Biles and Chiles has been celebrated in similar fashion by many — with one exception being Baltimore Ravens Pro Bowl cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who posted on X that he found the gesture to be “literally disgusting.”
Humphrey plays in the NFL, along with Biles’ husband, Jonathan Owens, a safety with the Chicago Bears.
More on Humphrey shortly.
With 11 Olympic medals (including seven golds) and 30 world championship medals (including six all-around golds), Biles is considered by many to be gymnastics’ G.O.A.T. Andrade is essentially the Biles of Brazil, with six Olympic medals (including a gold in vault at the Tokyo Games in 2021) and nine world championship medals (including all-around gold in 2022).
Going into the floor competition Monday, Biles and Chiles had already helped the U.S. win gold in the team competition, while Andrade and Brazil took bronze. Also in Paris, Biles had claimed gold in the all-around and vault, while Andrade took silver in both events.
After the all-around competition last week, Biles praised Andrade.
“I don’t wanna compete with Rebeca no more,” Biles joked. “I’m tired — like, she’s way too close. I’ve never had an athlete that close, so it definitely put me on my toes and it brought out the best athlete in myself. So I’m excited and proud to compete with her, but I don’t like it no more. I’m getting uncomfortable, guys. I don’t like that feeling. I was stressing.”
When Andrade edged Biles for Olympic gold in the floor competition, the two American medalists decided to pay respect on the medal stand.
“She’s so amazing. She’s queen,” Biles said of Andrade afterward. “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.’”
Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade, center, celebrates after winning gold in the floor exercise, with silver medalist Simone Biles, left, and bronze medalist Jordan Chiles, both of the U.S., in Paris.
(Abbie Parr / Associated Press)
Chiles, whose bronze Monday was her first individual Olympic medal, added of Andrade: “You know, she’s an icon, a legend herself. 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.
Biles spoke of the moment again the next morning on NBC’s “Today” show.
“I think it’s all about sportsmanship, and we don’t care whether we win or lose,” Biles said. “We’re always going to keep a good face and support our competitors because they’ve worked just as hard as we have for that moment … and that’s exactly what me and Jordan were doing. We were so happy for her. She deserved it, she had the best floor routine of the day, and of the Olympics, so it’s like, yeah, she deserved it.”
Which brings us back to Humphrey, who has admitted his take on the matter hasn’t been widely applauded.
“I’m lowkey getting cooked right now,” he wrote on X several hours after his original post. “I think I’m getting cussed out in Brazilian [Portuguese] on Instagram lol.”
The three-time Pro Bowl selection also posted a screenshot of his original X post on his Instagram stories, with the caption, “I guess I can never go to Brazil now.”