Rebeca Andrade has just made history with Brazil. The gymnast has won silver and has become the most decorated athlete in the history of the country. She has done so after competing head to head with Simone Biles who won gold with a score of 59.131, well above the 57.932 achieved by the Brazilian. Third place went to the American Sunisa Lee with 56.465.
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REUTERS/Hannah MckayHannah McKayREUTERS
In addition to the silver medal, the Brazilian athlete also took home the bronze in the team event at this edition. However, these awards might not be the last that Andrade wins at these Games, as she will also have the opportunity to compete for three other medals. If she were to win at least two, she would become the most decorated athlete in the country in both the men’s and women’s categories. Robert Scheidt and Torben Grael are the current leaders of the ranking, with five podium finishes each.
This was not the only record the gymnast set in Paris. In the qualifying rounds she became the first Brazilian to reach five finals, surpassing Jade Barbosa’s three finals in Beijing 2008 and her own record in Tokyo. Rebeca is one of the best athletes in her category and has demonstrated this in previous world championships, where she has won three golds, four silvers and two bronzes.
Complicated path
Born on May 8, 1999 in Guarulhos (São Paulo, Brazil), Rebeca began training at the early age of four at the Bonifácio Cardoso gym. Five years later she moved to the south of the country and at 10 she signed for the Flamengo Rio de Janeiro club, where she won the Brazilian artistic gymnastics trophy. Throughout her successful career she has had several setbacks, especially with her knee.
She suffered three knee injuries that forced her to undergo surgery three times between 2015 and 2019. In Tokyo 2020, her bad luck was offset by a gold medal in the vault and a silver medal in the all-around competition. Today, Andrade is one of the best athletes in the world, competing closely against the already historic Simon Biles.
