Simone Biles and Rebeca Andrade might be the fiercest of rivals when they are competing. However, outside of the mat, the duo share a sisterhood that transcends the dog-eat-world of competitive gymnastics. Sharing a strong bond of love and mutual respect, the duo has been redefining gymnastics rivalry for a long time. And now, the gymnastics GOAT herself has addressed the bonding with an interesting statement. 

Biles took to her Instagram account on January 15, 2025, and posted pictures of her recent meetup with her Brazilian counterpart, Rebeca Andrade. While the video showed the duo sharing a warm hug, Biles captioned the post, “I know vault hate to see us coming.” In the video posted by Biles, she was spotted donning a black dress as she stood up from her spot, seeing Andrade approaching her. Soon, the Brazilian gymnast was visible inside the frame wearing a black dress with designer white collars, which made the outfit stand apart. The duo immediately smiled at each other before embracing warmly. The US gymnastics queen also posted a snapshot of them hugging right next to the video.

Surely, it’s a big possibility that in a competition where both Andrade and Biles are competing on the vault, it would mean a sort of bad luck for the other competitors. After all, their incredible expertise on the apparatus would mean that the first two places in the top 3 will be shared by either of the two. Take the recently concluded Paris Olympics, for example. At the end of the women’s vault, Simone Biles took gold with a score of 15.300, while Andrade took home the silver with a thumping performance of 14.966. 

Surprisingly, amidst all the rivalry, Andrade and Biles could be seen clapping after each other’s performances at the Olympics! Delving into her strong bond with the Brazilian, Biles spoke about the same at the Vtex Connect in New York back on January 13. It was here that she crossed paths with the Brazilian gymnastics legend and shared snippets of the same. 

“I absolutely love and adore Rebeca,” Biles said while addressing the crowd. She then further heaped praise on Andrade for presenting Brazilian gymnastics to the world at such a high level. “The way she paved Brazilian gymnastics… is definitely unmatched… I love her, and I love that resilience,” Biles said. In reality, the duo have been dominating the entire gymnastics realm and not just the vault. And on several occasions, Andrade has overpowered Biles too! Back in Paris, when the duo met on the women’s floor final, it was Rebeca Andrade all the way. But Biles never forgot to pay her respects to the champ. 

Simone Biles ‘bows’ in front of Rebeca Andrade

Simone Biles was a crowd favorite taking the floor at Bercy Arena in Paris. However, things quickly changed as Rebeca Andrade delivered a stupendous performance to rise above Biles to clinch the gold medal. While the US gymnast congratulated her on the go, a more emotional surprise was waiting for the Brazilian ahead. While the medal ceremony was taking place, Biles and Jordan Chiles decided to bow down as Rebeca Andrade took center stage to collect her gold medal.

The picture became iconic, and soon the gesture became the ultimate example of mutual respect and sisterhood in competitive sports. Biles later went on to reveal how the UCLA Bruins star Jordan Chiles came up with the fantastic idea. “Rebeca….she’s queen,.. Jordan was like, ‘Should we bow to her?’, and I told her absolutely,” Biles explained way back in August 2024 while speaking with Olympics.com. And while Biles openly supports Andrade, her Brazilian counterpart too does not shy away. In an interview with No Ataque back in November 2024, Andrade stated, “We support each other a lot, we root for each other a lot… I root for her a lot.” Surely, the strong bond between the duo is something for the gymnastics world to cherish. With the rat race reigning supreme in modern days, Simone Biles and Rebeca Andrade have truly stood out from the rest.