We came for a mic drop. Simone Biles gave us a fitting final bow.

PARIS — In perhaps the final memory of Simone Biles on an Olympic podium, she bowed. Her motivation was not to acknowledge an adoring crowd, though she forever will be adored. For a rare time, she stood next to the highest perch, not on it, in second place waiting along with third-place finisher Jordan Chiles for Rebeca Andrade to be introduced as the gold medalist of the women’s gymnastics floor exercise.

As Andrade ascended to glory, Biles and Chiles bent forward, extended their arms and waved them up and down, a classic gesture of reverence. The Americans did it out of immense appreciation for Andrade, who has recovered from three knee reconstructions to capture six career Olympic medals, including four at the Paris Games. They also hoped to create a moment that would illustrate their pride in seeing three Black women on a gymnastics medal stand. Andrade smiled in shock, then lifted her arms high and threw her head back as Bercy Arena showered her with cheers.

“Rebeca, she’s so amazing,” Biles said. “It was just the right thing to do. She’s a queen.”

The good deed also signified an important aspect of the Biles legacy. What she gives to the sport is far greater than what she takes. On Monday, she wasn’t able to own the moment. With two opportunities to make an awe-inspiring exit, she couldn’t tap into enough of her otherworldly talent. Like several other gymnasts, she fell off the balance beam and finished fifth, marking the first time in three Olympics she had competed in a final and failed to win a medal. Then, during the floor exercise, she stepped out of bounds on two tumbling passes and watched Andrade, who has turned into a great foil, snatch gold from her for the first time in Olympic competition.

So Biles leaves Paris with three gold medals and one silver, strengthening her status as one of the greatest Olympians ever. She didn’t get to drop the mic, however. Perhaps it’s a better testament to her greatness that she handed it to someone else.

“I was fighting to finally have a gold, because I wanted that one so badly,” said Andrade, who is from Brazil. “I’m so glad I managed.”

Said Biles: “I have so much respect for her.”

For so long, we looked only at Biles and didn’t realize she had competition. At 27, she’s still dominant, but at these stressful Olympics, she couldn’t meet any expectations of perfection. She was plenty vulnerable. She won gold in the all-around, but Andrade pushed her the entire time. After she fell on the balance beam, you figured she would rebound with a punctuating performance during the floor exercise.

But Biles was imperfect again. It was surprising, but not alarming. For certain, it didn’t diminish any of her accomplishments here. She made a triumphant return after a mental block limited her three years ago in the Tokyo Olympics. Over the past two weeks, she showed the world that uber-elite athletes can succeed without damaging the rest of themselves, adding a happy chapter to the tale of her mental health journey.

Still, it was a taxing endeavor. We saw Biles get anxious. We saw her make mistakes. We saw her in full. She’s a champion who sweats and strains like they all do. She is capable of losing, even when she doesn’t have the twisties. Add it all up, and it makes how much she has won look even more impressive.

“I’ve accomplished way more than my wildest dreams, not only in the Olympics, but in the sport,” Biles said. “So I can’t be mad at my performances.”

Biles now has 11 Olympic medals: seven gold, two silver, two bronze. She has won 23 golds and 30 medals overall at the world championships. She is the most prolific winner in American gymnastics history. She is the greatest gymnast in modern history, and if there’s no perfect way to judge without qualifiers, let’s just look ahead and predict that she will remain the standard for several generations. She pushed the sport that far into the future.

And then she bowed to it by reminding us that a person did all that.

“You never know with gymnastics,” Biles said of her uneven final performances. “I’m just very happy and proud and even more excited that it’s over.”

Biles has left open the possibility that she could return for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. She would be 31 if she could maintain the health and will to extend her career that long. But this felt like a good ending.

I’m all for athletes exiting on their terms, even if it means we see lesser versions of them. Biles has earned the right to depart her way. If she retires before Los Angeles, it probably won’t be because she can’t perform. She’s at peace now, and whatever she wishes to chase, she can go after it feeling calm. There may be something more for her than gymnastics.

It’s wild to think about, but at this point, the symbol of Biles is even greater than the athlete. She is known as much for overcoming as she is dominating. During the lowest moment of her triumphant Olympics, the crowd exclaimed “We love you, Simone!” as she awaited an inevitably subpar score on the balance beam.

The crowd needed to make sure she was all right. She was. For the rest of the day, she didn’t grovel in disappointment. It was strange to see her lose — like, legitimately lose. But she focused on the winners. During a news conference, she adjusted the microphones for Italian gymnasts Alice D’Amato and Manila Esposito, the gold and bronze medalists on the balance beam. She and Chiles embraced Andrade as their sister.

As she bowed, Biles transferred some of her power. To Andrade and to the sport. To Black women and to the future. Whenever she’s ready to leave the stage, my goodness, what treasures she leaves behind.