Biles paid tribute to Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade after the floor final event in Paris.
Simone Biles has publicly defended her decision to bow down to Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade after their floor final at the Paris Olympics.
Biles, who is widely regarded as the greatest gymnast of all time, was hoping to secure her fourth gold medal of the summer following wins in the team, all-around and vault events.
But it wasn’t meant to be at the Bercy Arena, as the most decorated Brazilian athlete at the Games claimed the women’s floor title with a final score of 14.166.
Rebeca Andrade, who has now won six medals in her three Olympic appearances, was praised by Biles after the floor final.
“Rebeca’s so amazing, she’s a queen,” said Biles. “She’s such an excitement to watch and then all the fans in the crowd were always cheering for her, so it was just the right thing to do.
“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’.”
Andrade appreciated the show of respect, saying: “It was very cute of them.”
She added: “They are the world’s best athletes and what they did means a lot to me. We’re always rooting for each other, the final is very difficult for everyone.”
But after the show of respect, NFL star Marlon Humphrey commented on a picture of Biles and Jordan Chiles showing their appreciation for Andrade by saying: “This is literally disgusting.”
Biles has since hit back at the criticism, explaining why she and Chiles decided to bow down to her opponent on the podium.
Speaking on the Today show, she said: “I think it’s all about sportsmanship, and we don’t care whether we win or lose.
“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.
“You have to give them their flowers 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.”