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Rebeca Rodrigues de Andrade, an exceptionally talented artistic gymnast, was born on May 8, 1999, in Guarulhos, Brazil. Her remarkable journey to becoming a world-class gymnast is characterized by unwavering perseverance, resilience, and extraordinary skill, making her a trailblazer for Brazil in gymnastics.
Andrade's ascent in the world of gymnastics started at an early age. She demonstrated her potential as a junior by winning the all-around, vault, and floor exercises at the 2012 Junior Pan American Championships. Her dominance continued at the 2014 Junior Pan American Championships, where she clinched titles on the vault, uneven bars, and balance beam.
© Getty ImagesAndrade's transition to senior competitions was not without its challenges. She faced persistent injuries, including three ACL tears—one in 2015, another in 2017, and a third in 2019. However, her resilience and determination were unwavering, as she made impressive comebacks each time. Her hard work and perseverance paid off when she represented Brazil at the 2016 Summer Olympics, finishing eleventh in the all-around final. Her journey reached a historic pinnacle at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she secured a gold medal in the vault and a silver medal in the all-around, becoming the first Brazilian female gymnast to medal at the Games.
Andrade's list of accolades is both extensive and impressive. She is the two-time World Champion on the vault in 2021 and 2023 and the 2022 World all-around champion. At the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, she added a silver medal in the all-around and bronze medals on the balance beam and floor exercise. Her outstanding consistency and versatility have solidified her position among the gymnastics elite, with the remarkable achievement of being one of only 11 female gymnasts in history to have medaled in every event at the World Championships.
© Christian PetersenThe Paris 2024 Olympics marked another chapter in Andrade's historic career. She and the Brazilian National Team made history by winning the Bronze medal at the Team All-Around final, a first for the country. Individually, she earned the Silver Medal in the All-Around Final. In the apparatus finals, Andrade's exceptional prowess was on full display.
"When I won, the first thing I did was call up my psychologist, she played a huge role in my win,” Rebeca said in a YouTube interview titled, “REBECA ANDRADE NO MAIS VOCÊ
© Michael Reaves / Getty Images"After my injury, I was in one of the darkest phases of my career, and she helped me get out of the slump. So when I picked up the win, I felt I owed her for helping me get through the tough times," she added.
On the first day, she won the silver medal on the vault. In the subsequent days, she competed in the beam and floor exercises, securing a fourth-place finish on the beam and a gold medal on the floor. Her extraordinary performance in the floor exercise made her the first Brazilian Olympic floor champion of either gender, surpassing Diego Hypólito's second-place finish at the 2016 Olympics.
