For Simone Biles, there was a simple reason why she and Jordan Chiles decided to bow to rival (and friend) Rebecca Andrada after she beat them for the gold: “Sportsmanship.”
It was a move that was mostly praised because women support women, apart from a few critics. And one that was important to Biles.
“[We were] showing good sportsmanship [and] I’m out there having fun because it was the last competition,” the superstar gymnast, 27, tells PEOPLE.
The moment capped a medal- and record-laden Olympics for Biles, who won three gold medals and one silver during the 2024 Games. Her only silver came against Andrada in the floor final, where Biles and Chiles, 23, bowed out to the six-time Olympic medalist, 25.
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That podium also had a bigger meaning—it marked the first time ever that an Olympic podium was made up entirely of black gymnasts, a moment Biles certainly didn’t miss.
“It was a national team,” she says. “For all the girls and boys who look like us, to believe in themselves that they can do it too. I was in their shoes one day when I saw Gabby [Douglas] win and I said, ‘Oh my God, if she can do it, so can I.’ ”
Biles was an example to all the gymnasts, athletes and people who looked up to her during the Games, not only because of her emphasis on the national team, but also because of how she emphasized the importance of good mental health.
Simone Biles, Rebeca Andrade and Jordan Chiles on August 5.
Daniela Porcelli/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty
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Reflecting on how she feels now, after the Paris Games, compared to how she will be after Tokyo 2021, Biles says she’s “in a better place, mentally and physically.”
“Overall, I’m satisfied with what I managed to achieve and what I did, because the therapy and that mental work meant everything to me and it was very necessary,” she says.
And now, after more than a week and a half of competition, Biles, who graces the cover of PEOPLE this week, has one thing on her mind: “relax.”
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Source: HIS Education