As Issa Rae said, we’re “rooting for everybody Black!” This morning (afternoon in Paris), the final 2024 Paris Olympics gymnastics events concluded at Bercy Arena, and what a dramatic finish it was. In the end, Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade and Team USA’s Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles took the top three spots, making them the gold, silver, and bronze medalists of the floor exercise final. Yes, all Black women on the podium.
About an hour before the floor exercise, Andrade and Biles competed in the balance beam final. With both heavily favored in that event, the morning started off rocky for Bilesn who experienced a fall during her beam routine. Despite Andrade having a beautiful event, the judges still didn’t quite give her the points needed for a medal.
When it came to floor exercise, the pressure was on for all nine ladies to leave it all on the mat. Biles, the 27-year-old gymnastics GOAT, was seen limping after a hiccup on a tumbling pass during her floor warm-up. It left the commentators wondering if she would be able to compete at her highest level for what could be the final routine of her Olympic career. However, if you haven’t learned by now, never count out Simone Biles or lose faith in what that woman can do.
Andrade competed first among the three winners and had a near-flawless routine, finishing with a score of 14.166. Next was Biles. After getting her calf taped, she went out and gave her all. Despite two steps out of bounds, mostly due to the power in her tumbling, she came away with a score of 14.133. As the camera panned to her after her routine, she could be seen saying, “I think Rebeca got this one.”
As previously reported, the two women have been the other’s toughest competition over the years, especially during the 2024 Paris Games. Pushing each other to give their best, they seem to have nothing but love and admiration for one another.
To round out the final competition routine of the morning—and Games—Jordan Chiles took the mat. As Beyoncé’s “My House” blasted through the areana, the UCLA student-athlete went to work. Another powerful routine, she had a slight balance check during her initial tumbling pass, which likely cost her a few tenths deductions. The judges returned with a score that would have knocked her out of medal contention, but her coaches submitted an inquiry, which ultimately shifted her to the bronze standing.
Looking up in anticipation, Chiles leaped with excitement as she saw her new score, a 13.766, making her the 2024 Olympic bronze medalist in floor exercise. Her emotion took over, and the tears fell after it all sank in on what she had just accomplished.
“It’s been a long journey, it’s been a long three years,” Chiles previously told ESSENCE during the 2024 US Olympic gymnastics trials in Minneapolis. “I’m just so proud of myself after everything I’ve gone through. The struggles, the losses. I couldn’t be more proud of myself.”