Social media is still abuzz over Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles’ Olympic games gesture. The pair made the headlines on Monday after they paid tribute to Rebeca Andrade in a unique way. Standing on the podium after their respective second and third-place finish in the floor exercise finals, Biles and Chiles bowed to the Brazilian gymnast as she received the gold medal. The beautiful sight quickly went viral, sparking a wave of admiration and compliments from fans. However, NFL star Marlon Humphrey had a different opinion about the ladies’ actions.
Taking to X, the Baltimore Ravens player slammed Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles’ Olympic gesture. “This is literally disgusting,” he quoted a photo of the moment. However, fans didn’t stay silent about Humphrey’s words, bashing him across various social media platforms. Many reminded Humphrey of Andrade’s history with injury — she has suffered three ACL tears. Additionally, they revealed the gymnast had a close relationship with her counterparts. Amid the controversy, former USA First Lady Michelle Obama also defended the beautiful gesture. On Tuesday, she took to X to describe it as a moment of sisterhood and sportsmanship.
“I’m still not over this beautiful moment of sisterhood and sportsmanship,” she wrote.
Obama also noted that anyone could feel the love shining through the ladies. “Congrats Rebeca, Jordan and Simone! ✨,” she concluded. Many could not agree more with Obama’s words, as they flooded the comments section with more admiration for the gymnasts. Political Strategist Mike Harvey revealed that moment would be one of the most iconic in Olympic history. According to him, not only did Biles, “the best gymnast arguably,” bow and defer to a competitor, but she also did so to one from another nation. Harvey asserted that Biles and Chiles represented the team spirit of the United States. Meanwhile, Biles has since explained that the gesture was because Andrade had the best floor routine of the day and the Olympics.