“Come on. You got it,” Simone Biles cheered, flashing a grin at her rival, Rebeca Andrade, during the vault finals at the Paris Olympics. It’s not every day you see gymnasts battling for gold but still rooting for each other like besties on game day. Remember last year’s World Championships? That’s when Biles handed over the symbolic crown to Andrade, and in Paris, their friendship sparkled just as bright.

After the floor final, Biles and her teammate Jordan Chiles pulled a surprise move, bowing down to Andrade, the newly minted Olympic gold medalist. Biles had been gunning for her fourth gold but ended up with silver after a few slip-ups. But she didn’t let that dampen her spirits. “Rebeca’s so amazing, she’s a queen,” Biles raved. “She’s such an excitement to watch, and all the fans in the crowd were always cheering for her, so it was just the right thing to do.” As if this Olympic saga wasn’t already heartwarming enough, their show of respect and camaraderie took it up another notch!

A post by Acervo Rebeca Andrade on X, featuring a video captioned “Rebeca Andrade doing parkour to hug Simone Biles at the Paris Olympics 2024,” melted hearts. The clip, taken during the All-Around finals, shows Simone Biles and Suni Lee near the Bercy Arena sidelines when Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade suddenly rushed across the gymnastics floor, jumping over a platform to reach Simone and wrap her in a big hug. The wholesome mid competition gesture had Biles smiling from ear to ear, clearly delighted.

Soon after that heartwarming moment, Simone Biles overcame an early error to clinch her second Olympic all-around crown in Paris 2024. Biles’ total score of 59.131 was golden, with Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade taking silver with 57.932. Joining them, Suni Lee completed the podium with a score of 56.465. Despite the fierce competition that night, they set aside national boundaries and rivalries, sharing a genuinely sweet moment. But that doesn’t mean the two haven’t challenged each other!

Their rivalry, which kicked off in Rio 2016, has always been grounded in mutual respect. During a tough time for Andrade in 2018, Biles encouraged her, saying, “Don’t give up. You’re talented. And you’re going to get past this.” When Biles took a break from the sport in 2021, Rebeca Andrade seized the spotlight, claiming the 2022 World Championships all-around title and Olympic gold on vault at Tokyo 2020.

At the 2023 World Championships, Andrade even outperformed Biles in the vault finals, yet in a heartfelt moment on the final night in Antwerp, Biles passed the torch to her on the podium. “I have so much respect for her. She’s such a good competitor,” Biles said. “She keeps me on my toes. It’s an honor to get to compete with her.”

After winning the women’s all-around final, so on after that heartfelt gesture seen above, Andrade was right on her heels, securing the silver medal. Biles quipped during a press conference, “I don’t want to compete with Rebeca anymore! I’m tired. She’s very close to me — I’ve never had an athlete so close. This definitely kept me alert and brought out the best athlete in me. So I’m excited and proud to compete with her, but — no.” Looking at this sweet rivalry and the latest viral moment these two queens shared at the Paris Olympics left the gymnastics community in absolute awe!

Fans can’t get enough of Rebeca Andrade’s impressive leaps and bounds just to wrap Simone Biles in a hug!

After the wholesome moment when Rebeca Andrade’s heartfelt gesture toward Simone Biles took center stage, the sight of the two gymnasts sharing a warm embrace struck a deep emotional chord with viewers everywhere. One fan reacted to how Rebeca made her way to Simone, saying, “Hahaha I didn’t expect that entrance from her. Hahahahahahaha it caught me off guard.” Andrade’s cute but funny approach to hugging Simone reflected the spontaneity of the moment.

Another fan couldn’t help but notice Rebeca’s playful entrance, commenting, “My God, she even invented a new way of walking to get to Simone.” Meanwhile, someone else humorously pointed out, “Apparently, Simone isn’t the only one who crosses the gym to give hugs, lol,” a nod to how Biles was seen throughout the Paris Olympics cheering for and uplifting competitors and teammates like Rebeca, Mélanie de Jesus, Jordan Chiles, Alice D’Amato, and others.

An admirer also praised Simone for her glowing smile as Rebeca approached, saying, “She was all smiling when she saw her approaching, very much in love 😍.” The close friendship between Simone and Rebeca, evident even at the 2023 World Championships afterparty, shines through moments like these, proving that their so-called rivalry is really just a strong bond in disguise.

In sports, the connections formed often rival the achievements themselves, and the sweet encounters between Rebeca Andrade and Simone Biles are a testament to that camaraderie. What do you think of this sweet gesture by Andrade toward Biles? Let us know in the comments!