An image from the medal ceremony for the women's gymnastics floor final is already proving to be iconic.
On Monday (August 5), Brazil's Rebeca Andrade took home the gold in the floor exercise while Team USA's Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles earned the silver and bronze, respectively.
The trio received their Olympic medals on the podium before Biles and Chiles bowed down to Andrade for her victory. A photo of the three Black gymnasts on the podium took the internet by storm.
Biles recognized the excitement surrounding the first-ever, all-Black podium in gymnastics at the Olympics.
“She’s so amazing. She’s queen,” Biles said of Andrade 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."
“But she’s, she’s such an excitement to watch. And then all the fans in the crowd, always cheering for her. So, it was just the right thing to do. She’s sweet," she added.
Chiles said they wanted to give Andrade the praise she deserved after the Brazilian won her first Olympic gold medal.
“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.”
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