“Very exciting,” say Simone Biles, Rebeca Andrade, and Jordan Chiles as they celebrate the first all-black gymnastics podium

When Andrade of Brazil won the gold, Biles took home the silver, and Chiles earned the bronze in the floor final, the gymnasts created Olympic history.

At the 2024 Summer Olympics, Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles, and Rebeca Andrade became the first all-Black gymnastics podium finishers in Olympic history.

In the floor final on Monday, August 5, at the Bercy Arena in Paris, Andrade, 25, won gold. Biles, 27, took home silver, while Chiles, 23, took home bronze.

With Monday’s medals, a gymnastics podium comprised completely of Black athletes occurred for the first time in Olympic history. The gymnasts explained the significance of the historic occasion to PEOPLE and other media after it happened.

After the championship, Andrade declared, “We can show the Black Power.” “I adore the color of my skin. However, that’s not my main focus either. Speaking in the third person, the gymnast stated, “Rebeca goes beyond her color.”

“The same is true for Simone and Jordan. The idea is that it acts as a motivator,” Andrade went on, adding that although gymnasts’ “skin color” may make things “sometimes more difficult,” the trio has shown that “it’s doable” and “you can do it.”

Biles and Chiles of the United States paused during the medal presentation to give Andrade a quick bow for taking home the gold.

“She’s incredible, she’s a queen,” Biles remarked of the gold medallist from Brazil. “And first, it was an all-Black podium, so that was super exciting for us.”

Biles disclosed that during the historic moment on the podium, Chiles was the one who proposed bowing to Andrade. Biles went on, “And I was like, absolutely.”

We ask yourself, “Are we going to do it now? And for that reason, we took action.” Biles continued, saying that Team USA has observed “all the fans in the crowd always cheering for her” and that Andrade is “such an excitement to watch.”

Reporters were informed by Chiles and her USA teammate that they intended to present Andrade with “her flowers” at the medal ceremony.

“Not only has she given Simone her flowers, but a lot of us in the United States our flowers as well, so giving it back is what makes it so beautiful, so I felt like it was needed,” Chiles said, describing Andrade as “an icon” as well as “legend.”

Biles rose to become the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history on July 30.

However, Biles stated to the media earlier in the Games that she did not “keep count.”

“I just go out here and do what I’m supposed to and I’m doing what I love and enjoying it, so that’s really all that matters to me,” she stated.

Biles declared following Monday’s floor final that her accomplishments in the sport have exceeded even her “wildest dreams.” “I can’t be upset with the way I performed. I never would have imagined that I would be back here at an Olympic Games a few years ago,” she continued.