Historic First All-Black Podium in Gymnastics at 2024 Paris Olympics Celebrates Diversity and Excellence

For the first time in Olympic history, the gymnastics podium was entirely occupied by Black athletes. On August 5, 2024, at the Bercy Arena, Brazil's Rebeca Andrade, USA's Simone Biles, and Jordan Chiles made history in the women's floor exercise final. 

Andrade clinched the gold medal with a score of 14.166, narrowly edging out Biles, who scored 14.133 to take silver. Chiles secured the bronze medal after a successful appeal of her initial score. This groundbreaking achievement not only celebrated the athletes' exceptional talents but also marked a significant step toward greater diversity and representation in gymnastics. 

Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast in history, expressed her admiration for Andrade, who has become the most decorated gymnast in Brazilian and Latin American history. 

Biles and Chiles honored Andrade by bowing to her during the medal ceremony, a gesture Biles explained by saying, "I love Rebeca, she’s incredible. She’s so amazing, a queen, it was an all-Black podium so that was super exciting for us and then Jordan said ‘Shall we bow to her’ and I said ‘Absolutely’ – that’s why we did. She’s so exciting to watch and it was the right thing to do.” 

Andrade, who has overcome significant injuries throughout her career, expressed pride in her accomplishment. She stated, “We can show the Black Power. I love myself, my skin color. But I’m also not focused on that. Rebeca goes beyond her color.” She continued, "The idea is it serves as an incentive. Sometimes it may be more difficult for you because of your skin color. But you can do it, and we proved it’s possible." 

Jordan Chiles also expressed her respect and admiration for Andrade, saying, “Not only has she given Simone her flowers, but a lot of us in the United States our flowers as well.” She referred to Andrade as an “icon” and a “legend,” acknowledging her influence and support. 

Simone Biles reflected on her Olympic journey, expressing pride and satisfaction with her performances. "I’m not upset about my performance or anything, I’m actually very happy, proud, and even more excited that it’s over! I’ve accomplished way more than my wildest dreams, not just at this Olympics but in the sport – I can’t be mad at my performances," she shared. Biles further emphasized the significance of this historic moment, stating, "First, it was an all-Black podium, so that was super exciting for us." 

Former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama also praised the three women."I’m still not over this beautiful moment of sisterhood and sportsmanship! You can just feel the love shining through these ladies. Congrats Rebeca, Jordan and Simone!" she said in a post on X (Twitter). 

While Simone Biles's dominance has made it more common to see a Black woman winning in gymnastics, the sport remains predominantly white. According to data from the 2022-2023 school year, only 8% of NCAA female gymnasts were Black. 

Black women have made significant strides in the sport over the years. Dominique Dawes became the first Black woman to win an individual gymnastics medal at the 1992 Olympics. It wasn't until 2012 that Gabby Douglas became the first Black woman to win the all-around title. In 2023, Biles, Rebeca Andrade, and U.S. gymnast Shilese Jones made history by forming the first all-Black podium at a World Artistic Gymnastics Championship event.