After Team USA won the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics gold, individual events saw the participants meet again on stage. In the all-around category, Simone Biles won the gold, Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade won the silver, and Sunisa Lee won the bronze.
However, after they won, Lee and Andrade embraced each other, sat down, and talked gleefully as they waited for the medal ceremony to commence. A video posted from the audience capturing this moment took the internet by storm.
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Several fans were almost emotional about how gymnastics had evolved into providing peak examples of sportsmanship.
“This new era of gymnastics is something special.”
Competition doesn’t have to draw enmity, and people seem to agree with the notion.
“Just because you compete you don’t have to be enemies love it great sportsmanship”
One fan even declared the Paris Olympics have been an amazing sight to witness in terms of gymnastics.
“This is how it should have always been! Women supporting other women. Safe healthy environments. Smiling and enjoying the moment, because you don’t get many moments like this. Not being so hard on yourself. This is THEE best Olympics I’ve watched for gymnastics…”
Someone even pointed out how the top three beat some significant hurdles in their lives to reach the top.
“Beautiful!! These women have been through some tough times to get to this moment. So proud and so deserving for all three on the podium!!”
Lastly, who doesn’t love a moment when women support women?
“Women supporting women. I absolutely love it! Great sportsmanship!”
While it isn’t a secret that Biles had to brush off several critics to bounce back into action, Lee and Andrade had their own set of troubles that nearly ended their careers.
Minnesota’s tumbling queen, Lee, was diagnosed with not one but two kidney diseases that left her in shambles. She gained about forty pounds, retained water, and unfortunately heard from her doctors that she might never be able to do gymnastics again.
But instead of giving up, she took time off from college gymnastics, tweaked her routines to suit her medical needs, regained strength, and bounced back.
On the other hand, Andrade hit a series of tragedies after suffering from three ACL tears and needing surgery. The future looked bleak, and it was assumed that the Brazilian would just give up on the sport. But she was resilient enough to train harder and carried her team on her back during the Paris Olympics.
All three winners were not only happy for each other but also shared a mutual sense of respect for how far they’d come. Their camaraderie off-stage was a pleasant sight to witness, and fans hailed it as a testament to how athletes across borders should be.
