AAfter suffering three ACL tears, Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade thought several times about giving up gymnastics. None other than Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast of all time, encouraged her to continue.
This is despite Biles, in her recent Netflix documentary, Simone Biles on the riseadmitted that Andrade is his fiercest competitor and “scares me the most”.
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But there has been a friendly and respectful rivalry between the gymnasts for years. At the 2023 World Cup, after the final in which Biles secured Andrade’s gold and silver, Biles placed the crown she received on top of Andrade’s head.
“It’s an honor to compete alongside her, to root for her,” said Andrade, 25, after helping the Brazilians win their first Olympic medal in the team event in Paris, behind Biles and the US women’s gold. “Simone is a reference for the whole world, not only for gymnastics, but for many athletes.”
Andrade, who will compete in women’s individual gymnastics and the individual beam, floor and vault events in Paris, is herself a sporting icon in Brazil. “She certainly made gymnastics more popular among young people,” says Luica Martins, a Brazilian fan participating in the Games. “She has a spark, so I hope she does well.”
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Andrade is an Olympic silver medalist in the individual all-around in Tokyo and was chosen by her compatriots to carry the flag at the closing ceremonies of these Games. She won the all-around title at the world championships in 2022 when Biles did not compete, surpassed Biles at the 2023 world vaulting championships, and is the current Olympic vault champion. In Paris, she is expected to unleash a new jumping ability, a triple Yurchenko twist, in which she pushes herself out of the jump into a backflip and performs three flips before landing. If she does this successfully, she will join Biles in having a movement named after her. (Biles has five so far and wants to increase that number.)
The Brazilian woman’s first medal in the women’s team event is largely due to Andrade and the interest in gymnastics she sparked – a movement strong enough to form a team of gymnasts that is now among the best in the world. But the path to becoming Biles’ biggest challenger was not easy. She used her recovery from her injuries to continue adding difficulties to her routines, giving her the real possibility of surpassing Biles if the Greatest of All Time has a bad night. “It’s about doing my best. And I hope [Biles] too”, Andrade told AFP.
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
