Rivalries may get brutal, but they can also become a thing of beauty. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal spent years battling each other on big stages, but their friendship became iconic with their matches. Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin pushed each other to their limits, trading world titles and respect. In gymnastics, there is Simone Biles and Rebeca Andrade. Biles-the most decorated gymnast ever-has for decades dominated gymnastics, but Andrade has made her legacy. An Olympic gold medalist and world champion, Andrade has not merely fought Biles; she has beaten her. How does Andrade view her legendary rival? The answer, straight from her, reveals the truth about their relationship.

In 2024, Rebeca Andrade delivered the performance of her life, a near-flawless routine in the floor exercise final, where she ended up with a score of 14.166 against Simone Biles’ 14.133 to win the Olympic gold medal. Biles, going for her fourth gold of the Paris Games, made uncommon mistakes to settle for the silver medal. But there was no frustration from but only admiration. Alongside Jordan Chiles, she embraced Andrade in a moment of shared history when the first all-Black Olympic podium in gymnastics. For Andrade, that was the real victory.

“Everyone wants to be an Olympic champion, right? That’s the starting point. But I don’t know if that was the goal, to beat Simone,” she said, reflecting on that night. “For me to be champion, I would have to do it, but in my head, it didn’t work that way” Rebecca responded to the host on BBC Interview today, When she asked about having a rival like Simone Biles make you work harder.

This was never about one gymnast against another. Their careers had unfolded side by side, not as rivals in the traditional sense, but as athletes who understood each other’s greatness. Andrade didn’t step onto the floor in Paris thinking about dethroning Biles. She stepped on that floor thinking about her moment, her execution.

“I had to do my part, I had to do my best and make sure at the end of the competition that I couldn’t have done anything different. That’s how I arrived to compete every day, you know? Thank God it worked out.”

It worked out in a way that changed everything. Andrade, already an Olympic silver medalist and world champion, became the first Brazilian woman to win gold in gymnastics. Digging Deeper! It is fair to say, Biles and Andrade has been pushing boundaries, rewriting history, and elevating each other to new heights.

Rebeca Andrade and Simone Biles’s relationship is rooted in mutual admiration

Simone Biles may be the gymnastics GOAT, but the 11-time Olympic medallist never fails to recognize others’ greatness. And when Andrade narrowly defeated her in the Paris floor final, Biles had nothing but praise.

“She’s so amazing. She’s queen,” Biles said in an interview after the event. “First, it was an all-Black podium, so that was super exciting for us.” It was Jordan Chiles who first suggested bowing to Andrade, and Biles quickly agreed. “She’s such an excitement to watch, and then all the fans in the crowd always cheering for her, so it was just the right thing to do.

This mutual respect has been years in the making and was evident after the 2023 World Championships in Antwerp, where Biles won four gold and one silver, Andrade had her moments as well, finishing with one gold, three silver, and bronze. Biles recognized competition, “I actually love competing with Rebeca,” Biles said. “She’s a phenomenal gymnast. She does push me. She makes me want to stick all my landings.”

Wait! There is more to their camaraderie. Before the all-around final in Paris on August 1, Biles admitted in a video, “Rebeca’s good, bro. I haven’t had competition like this in a while.” And after securing her sixth Olympic gold with a score of 59.131, she recognized the challenge Andrade posed: “She’s way too close. I’ve never had an athlete that close. 

What does Andrade have to say? Well, for her part, she has never hidden her admiration for Biles. “It was really cool knowing that I made her work, right?” she said after securing silver in the same category. And it translated as, “It’s an honor to be able to compete next to her.”

Their respect goes beyond results. When Andrade battled multiple knee injuries, Biles was there, telling her she was too talented to quit. That bond has only grown stronger, as seen when Biles symbolically crowned Andrade after her vault victory at Worlds.

The admiration is mutual. When Biles withdrew from the Tokyo Games due to the twisties before making a triumphant return, Andrade praised her resilience. “The best in the world was able to show us that things can happen, and you can get past it, and return,” she said to the Washington Post last year.

After Paris, both Biles and Andrade return home with four medals, three gold and one silver for the former, one gold, two silvers, and one bronze for the latter. But they’d built something greater- respect and bond.

Isn’t that what makes sport genuinely special? How often do we see rivals lifting each other? And being up there as they are, what next for this fantastic duo?