,type=downsize)
Rebeca Andrade secured first place in Paris. The 25-year-old Brazilian is making history and she becomes the first gymnast to ever beat Biles in a floor exercise final at a major international competition. Andrade scored 14.166 on her floor routine while Simone Biles earned second place with 14.133, only 33 thousandths from the gold. With this accomplishment, Andrade wins her first gold at these Olympic Games, the fourth medal in total during her 2024 Paris Olympics and her sixth medal in her Olympic career. She is the most decorated olympian in Brazilian history.
Andrade was the second gymnast to compete at the Bercy Arena, while Biles, was one of the last. As Andrade made her mark early on, the pressure was on Biles. Despite her brilliant routine, she landed outside of the bounds of the floor area twice, receiving hefty deductions. Biles has won 11 Olympic gymnastics medals and Jordan Chiles won the bronze after an inquiry changed the scoring.
In a lovely moment of sisterhood, Biles and Chiles bowed to the winner from Brazil at the podium. Biles said she has so much respect for Andrade. “She’s a competitor — she always keeps me on my toes,” Biles said. “It’s always an honor every time I get to compete with her.”
During the press conference, Andrade commented: “I’m not fighting against her [Simone Biles]...I’m fighting with me to be my best myself.”
Brazilian President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva congratulated Andrea via X, "Congratulations to our greatest Olympic medalist in history! 🥇🇧🇷."