Simone Biles expressed that her recent Olympic gold medal win in the all-around final was the most nerve-wracking moment of her career, largely due to the competition posed by Rebeca Andrade.
After a less-than-ideal performance on the asymmetric bars, Biles exhibited visible anxiety as Andrade, sporting a dazzling yellow leotard, excelled in her routines, trailing Biles by just 0.166 points heading into the final event.
Despite the pressure, the 27-year-old Biles triumphed, earning her sixth Olympic gold medal, and later remarked to reporters that she wasn’t keen on competing with Andrade again.
‘I don’t want to compete with Rebeca anymore. I’m tired,’ Biles jested during the press conference.
‘She made it too close. I’ve never faced an athlete so near me, so it definitely pushed me to do my best.’
Simone Biles said her gold medal Olympic victory on Thursday was the most stressful yet
And Biles explained that it was all down to the pressure Rebeca Andrade (left) put on her
‘So while I appreciate competing with her, I’m starting to feel uncomfortable. This stress isn’t enjoyable for me.’
Her U.S. teammate and bronze medalist Sunisa Lee concurred, stating: ‘I’ve never seen you so stressed out!’
In the meantime, Andrade expressed her pride in how closely she challenged Biles.
Television cameras captured Andrade smiling brightly as Biles held her final pose, effectively securing her gold medal victory and relegating Andrade to the silver position.
‘I was incredibly proud of her; it was extraordinary,’ Andrade shared. ‘I felt so happy because I had a great competition, and I was pleased with myself. My smile was for her, as well as a smile for my own success.’
However, despite Biles’ comments, the competition between them will continue in Paris.
Both athletes will compete in the vault, balance beam, and floor finals on August 3rd and 5th.
