Black women’s floor athlete takes 1st to 3rd place Andrade wins, Biles loses 4-gold title A girl who walked 4 hours to the gym becomes Brazil’s most decorated athlete.
“Let’s show black power” American stars who claimed to be supporting actors… BBC “A scene more valuable than a gold medal” ‘Gymnastics queen’ Simone Biles (USA, left) and teammate Jordan Childs (right) kneel together during the awards ceremony for the women’s floor exercise at the Paris Olympics on the 5th to congratulate the winner, Hebeka Andrade (Brazil). This is the first time, for both men and women, that only three black people have stood on the Olympic gymnastics podium.
At the Olympics, while athletes in other sports ‘compete’, gymnasts ‘act’. Those accustomed to leading roles tend to shy away from supporting roles, but the ‘Queen of Gymnastics’ Simone Biles (27, USA), the leading lady among leading roles, was different. Thanks to Biles’s self-appointed supporting role, the podium at the Paris Olympics’ women’s floor exercise shined even brighter.
Biles, who was aiming for her fourth gold medal at this competition, received 14.133 points in the women’s floor exercise at the Paris Olympics on the 5th. She came in second, behind the event’s winner, Hebeka Andrade (25, Brazil, 14.166 points). Jordan Chiles (23, USA, 13.766 points) followed in third place. With this, for the first time in the history of Olympic gymnastics, three black people will stand on the podium.
After the silver medal presentation, Chiles, who was the first of the three to reach the podium, suggested to Biles, “Why don’t we do a proper ceremony to welcome Andrade?” Biles replied, “Sure.” As Andrade stepped onto the podium, the two athletes lowered their bodies, and Andrade stepped onto the podium with a big smile on her face and her arms raised toward the sky.
It was the moment when the award ceremony photo that will be remembered in Olympic history was born. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) posted the photo of this moment on social media and commented, “The Olympics exist for moments like this.” The BBC in the UK also said, “This is a more valuable scene than a gold medal.”
Biles said, “It was super exciting to have only black athletes on the podium,” and added, “Andrade performed flawlessly. We just did what we had to do.” Chiles said, “I wanted to show the fans ‘black power.’ Andrade is an icon and a legend to us.”
Andrade, who won her second Olympic gold medal after vaulting at the 2021 Tokyo Games, expressed her gratitude, saying, “They were so cute. The Olympic finals are difficult for anyone, but it was an honor to receive the ceremony from the world’s best.” This gold medal was also Andrade’s sixth Olympic medal (two golds, three silvers, one bronze) regardless of color. With this medal, Andrade has become the athlete with the most Olympic medals in Brazilian history.
Andrade was born in a slum outside Guarulhos, São Paulo, Brazil. Her mother was a single mother and she had eight children. She entered gymnastics through her aunt’s introduction, but her mother, who was working as a housekeeper at the time, could not afford the bus fare to the gym. Still, she walked four hours to the gym to pursue her dream and eventually surpassed Biles. Women’s gymnastics became an official Olympic event at the 1928 Amsterdam Games. It was not until 64 years later, at the 1992 Barcelona Games, that the first black medalist was born. At that time, Dominique Doss (48, USA), who won a bronze medal in the team event, was the first medalist. Gabby Douglas (29, USA) then won the individual all-around at the 2012 London Olympics, becoming the first black woman to win an Olympic gold medal in gymnastics. The first Asian woman to win an Olympic gold medal was Nelly Vladimirovna Kim (67), who represented the Soviet Union at the 1976 Montreal Games. Kim, a second-generation Korean, won three gold medals in the team event, jumping jacks, and floor exercise. 안전놀이터