The Top Christian Highlights of the Paris Olympics

For much of the world, US gymnast Simone Biles has been the most visible face of the Paris Olympics. On August 5, Biles and teammate Jordan Chiles created a memorable Olympic scene when, in a gesture of sportsmanship, they bowed down to Brazilian competitor Rebeca Andrade on the medals podium.

Andrade had just taken the gold medal in the floor exercise competition, with Biles and Chiles earning silver and bronze, respectively.

The two US stars referred to Andrade as a “queen,” “icon,” and “legend” while noting the international friendship they have shared through years of fierce competition.

Andrade, age 25, who has suffered three ACL injuries that required reconstructive surgeries during her career, has not been bashful about directing her thanks to God. She broke into song during an interview after winning silver in the vault competition.

“God was preparing me so that I could achieve my goals today,” she stated. “And the song says, ‘I am preparing you for a new time that is about to come ... hold on, I'm doing it perfectly, and you will see.’ And that's exactly it, you know? He's doing things that I could never have imagined."

In an interview two years ago, Andrade credited her Christian upbringing for giving her resilience and said that to deal with anxiety at the Olympics, “I always took the Bible to the competition and read it when I went to the bathroom.”

She also related how God encouraged her after her third surgery in 2019:

I was in the room I shared with a friend, and mentally I was asking for a hug—because I was far from my mother and my siblings. My friend, who is a heavy sleeper, got up without saying a word and gave me a hug. It was at that moment that I realized God was with me and that he had given me that hug. At that moment, I decided, “I’m not going to stop. If I had to go through this again, it’s because he has something bigger.”

Source: christianitytoday.com