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Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade produced one of the biggest upsets of the Paris Olympics, upstaging the legendary Simone Biles in the floor exercise final on Monday.
What caught everyone's attention was Biles' wonderful gesture after the event.
Instead of being upset about missing out on her fourth gold at the Paris Games, Biles and her American team-mate Jordan Chiles, who won bronze, cheered for Andrade when she stepped onto the podium to collect her gold medal.
In a moment that has now gone viral, the American duo bowed to Andrade from the lower platforms of the podium as the Brazilian stepped up to accept her prize with her arms raised high.
Biles, heavily favored due to her high-flying routine, miscued two landings, costing her a fourth gold medal of these Games. Despite a strong start with her triple twisting double back, she stepped out of bounds twice, dropping her score.
Andrade's near-flawless, though less difficult, routine earned her a score of 14.166, just 0.033 points ahead of Biles.
'She's so amazing. She's a queen,' Biles said of Andrade, who had finished runner-up to the American in the all-around and vault finals. 'First, it was an all-Black podium, so that was very exciting for us. But then Jordan was like, should we bow to her? And I was like, absolutely.'
Andrade was really touched by the gesture. 'They are the world's best athletes and what they did means a lot to me. I feel honoured.'
Biles, the world's most decorated gymnast with 41 World and Olympic medals, admitted that exhaustion had started to creep in on the final day of a gruelling competition.
'Obviously wasn't my best performances but at the end of the day, whoever medalled, medalled,' she said. 'I'm not very upset or anything about my performance at the Olympics. I'm actually very happy, proud and even more excited that it's over.'
Despite not winning gold in the floor final, Biles celebrated her overall achievements in Paris, winning three golds and leading the US to the team title. Her performance marked a triumphant comeback after withdrawing from the Tokyo Games due to mental health issues.
Reflecting on her journey, Biles said, 'I've accomplished way more than my wildest dreams. Not just at this Olympics, but in the sport. So I can't be mad at my performances.' She has not ruled out competing at the Los Angeles Games in 2028.