Simone Biles is not only a winner on the field but also outside of it. Having been on a redemption tour in Paris, Biles mesmerized the entire world with her impeccable gymnastics skills. Having won 3 gold medals and one silver, Biles established herself as the true GOAT of modern-day gymnastics. However, apart from her on-court shenanigans, the Paris Olympics also bore testament to Biles’ incredible sportsmanship spirit. Now, the legendary gymnast and her BFF, Jordan Chiles, have received yet another major honor for their deed in Paris. 

According to an X update from USA Gymnastics, Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles were awarded the Jack Kelly Fair Play Award 2024. This was to acknowledge their outstanding act of sportsmanship and compassion towards their fellow gymnasts. The post read, “Congratulations to @Simone_Biles and @ChilesJordan on their recognition by the USOPC (@TeamUSA) with the 2024 Jack Kelly Fair Play Award – honoring their outstanding act of sportsmanship at the Paris Olympic Games!”

The Jack Kelly Fair Play Award, established in 1985 by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), celebrates athletes, coaches, and officials who exemplify outstanding acts of fair play and sportsmanship. It is named after Jack Kelly Jr.—a former USOC president, Olympic medalist in rowing, and brother to Princess Grace Kelly. Each year, the award is presented at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Assembly to honor individuals whose actions uplift the entire sporting community. Past recipients range from high school athletes to Olympic legends like Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Maya Moore, each showing how powerful fair play can be. And the powerhouse besties from the World Champions Centre—Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles—brought it home this year. But what act made them receive this honor?

Having missed out on a fourth Olympic gold medal, Biles ended up with a silver in the women’s individual floor routine. While Jordan Chiles was adjudged the bronze medal winner (which she was then stripped of), Biles’ gymnastics rival Rebeca Andrade won the gold. But that hardly seemed to make a difference. In fact, during the medal ceremony on the historic first All-Black Olympic podium, both Biles and Chiles did something that took everyone by surprise. They kneeled before the gold medal winner and bowed down as Andrade took the podium to receive her gold medal. 

The three gymnasts then hugged each other as they posed for the pictures. Such a gesture immediately went viral and the US athletes were lauded for their expansive mindset. The whole idea of bowing before Andrade was Chiles’s idea, and she told TODAY.com. “Rebeca has done a lot within her sport, within her country. So I felt like not only was it a Black podium, I felt like people should get recognized the proper way, and bowing down to her was like giving her that recognition that she really deserved that medal.”

Meanwhile, Simone Biles also spoke about bowing to her fiercest competitor, Rebeca Andrade, sharing, “[We were] showing good sportsmanship [and] having fun out there because it was the last competition,” at the Paris Olympics.  Now, the rivalry between Andrade and Biles had been heavily hyped for the Paris Olympics. And truly, the hype did live up to the expectations. The Brazilian gymnast went toe-to-toe with Andrade, almost threatening to overshadow the US athlete at times.

For example, during the women’s all-around finals, Biles had a bad day while competing on the uneven bars. Capitalizing on the opportunity, Andrade executed a near-perfect uneven bars routine to nudge ahead by a significant margin.  Although Biles did manage to make a thumping comeback to edge out Andrade, the entire time the GOAT was fearful of what the outcome might be. Sharing her fears, Biles confessed during the all-around finals, “I think she got that one. I think Rebeca got this one… Oh, I’m scared.” Surprisingly, despite the fierce rivalry, the mutual respect between the duo is unmatchable. 

Simone Biles gives Rebeca Andrade her flowers

Despite giving each other cutthroat competition throughout the Olympics season, Biles has immense love and respect for Rebeca Andrade. In fact, the Texas native thinks that athletes like Andrade ‘drives the sport’. Her gifted skills, coupled with her zeal to succeed, make her the perfect athlete who will take the sport to the next level.

Speaking highly about the Brazilian, Biles stated, “Rebeca is dedicated, doesn’t give up, has a fun personality, and is paving the way for young girls in Brazil… As a colleague and competitor, she encourages everyone to do their best… It’s important to have her in a competition because she drives the sport.”

And it is not only Biles who is seating her opponent on an elevated platform. The feeling seems mutual. In an interaction with CNN Esportes, Andrade detailed her joy at being able to compete alongside a talent like Biles. She seemed elated while saying, “Simone, we know she is from another world, she is extremely talented and being able to compete alongside her is something which means a lot not only to me but represents a lot to many people.”Shedding light on their Olympic rivalry, Andrade stated that they both had the same hunger to succeed.

And while Biles might have ended up as the better one most of the time, that did not stop either of them from cheering and wanting the best for each other. Andrade said, “So there were two athletes there with very high potential, along with other athletes too, of course, but as we are talking here about her and me, you know, with enormous potential who encouraged each other, who cheered for each other both they wanted to win But that didn’t stop us from wanting the best from each other, you know, I think that’s the most beautiful thing.” Thus, as the world finds new ways to watch in awe, Simone Biles keeps elevating herself to a level that will be hard to match for any upcoming gymnasts in the future.