Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade wins four medals in Paris
25 year old Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade wins Olympic gold as the Guarulhos-born competitor has earned four medals this year at the summer games held in Paris, France. In Monday’s women’s floor exercise final, Andrade won gold after beating her “toughest” rival, the 27-year-old American Simone Biles, who finished in second place.
Andrade, Biles, and 23 year old American bronze medallist Jordan Chiles (USA) formed the first ever all Black Olympic podium. During a news conference, Biles discussed Andrade’s extraordinary talent and said, “I have so much respect for her. She’s such a good competitor. She keeps me on my toes. It’s an honor to get to compete with her. I don’t want to compete with Rebeca anymore! I’m tired. She’s very close to me, I’ve never had an athlete so close.”
When Andrade was ten years old, her family made the ultimate sacrifice by sending her to live with her coach in order for her to be near her training facility before traveling to Rio de Janeiro. A few years later, Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade wins gold in vault in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, making her a Brazilian champion.
Remarkably throughout her career, Andrade has healed from three different ACL injuries. The gymnast recovered each time, despite the fact that the injuries from 2015 through 2019 all turned out to be serious setbacks requiring surgery. “I’ve overcome a lot of things, and each time I overcame something tough, I was more determined to come back,” said Andrade.
After Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade wins in Paris, she posted on Instagram, praising her incredible achievement at the Olympics this year, saying, “Whoever protects me does not sleep! Eternal gratitude. Our team, my family, all the fans and more, I thank everyone who contributed to my success.”
“I have no words to describe what it was like to live this moment with this team,” the Olympian wrote in a separate post. “The pride I feel for having given everything of myself for them, for you and for me. Just gotta give thanks.”