The rise of Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade, Simone Biles’s biggest rival

Gold medalist Simone Biles of the US on the podium after the Women's Final of the Artistic Gymnastics at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, at the Bercy Arena in Paris, France, 1 August 2024. (Photo: EPA-EFE/TERESA SUAREZ)

By Yanga Sibembe

6 Aug 2024

Brazilian artistic gymnast leaves Paris 2024 as the most decorated Olympian from her country, and the strongest adversary that Simone Biles has had to contend with.

In sports, friendly rivalries can be riveting for observers, while also pushing those involved in them to new heights as individuals.

Soccer legends Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are a great example of this phenomenon. They reshaped their sport during almost two decades of competing against each other.

In tennis, most recently Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal constantly battled each other. Each one knew that when they played one of the others, they had to be in peak form. Or suffer defeat. There was mutual respect between the trio as they played their part in altering the landscape of men’s tennis.

Biles versus Andrade

In modern gymnastics, American Simone Biles has been the standout athlete. She has dominated beyond comprehension, pushing her body and mind on the way to becoming statistically the greatest gymnast of all time.

To accompany her 30 World Championship medals, Biles now has 11 Olympic Games medals from three appearances at the quadrennial multisport event. Of course, she famously pulled out during the Tokyo Games three years ago.

Nevertheless, she may have not reached the acrophobia-inducing heights she has in the sport if not for having to constantly look over her shoulder at the charging Rebeca Andrade.

This is a point that Biles has made in the past, but reiterated after holding off the Brazilian to clinch gold in the all-around individual final a few days ago.

“I don’t want to compete with Rebeca any more,” Biles stated jokingly after the pair’s battle for gold in that event. “I’m tired. Like, she’s way too close. I’ve never had an athlete that close.

“She’s a competitor. She always keeps me on my toes. It’s always an honour every time I get to compete with her,” Biles added.

“Knowing that I gave Simone a bit of work is cool, right?” Andrade retorted. “She’s the best in the world. Simone is a phenomenon.

“We didn’t see it just here (in Paris), but also in many competitions that she has done. I’m so proud of being able to compete by her side,” the 25-year-old said.

“Simone is a reference for the entire world, not just for gymnastics, but for many athletes.”

Golden moment

In the final gymnastics event of Paris 2024, Brazilian Andrade went more than too close to Biles. The 25-year-old delivered a near-perfect performance in the individual floor exercise competition on Monday, 5 August. She just pipped second-placed Biles and her fellow American – Jordan Chiles – to first place on the podium.

As the trio of medallists lined up to receive their prizes following the event, Chiles asked Biles whether they should bow to Andrade when she stepped up to receive her gold. Biles was more than willing to show her adversary the respect she deserves for constantly keeping her on her toes.

“She is such an exciting gymnast to watch, and with all the fans in the crowd cheering for her… it was just the right thing to do. She’s a queen,” Biles said of the gesture.

Biles Gold medallist Simone Biles on the podium after the artistic gymnastics final at the Bercy Arena in Paris on 1 August 2024. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Teresa Suarez)

“She’s an icon, a legend herself. So, why don’t we give her her flowers? Not only has she given Simone her flowers, but (she has) for a lot of us in the US as well,” Chiles said of the American pair’s tribute to Andrade. “Giving back is what makes it so beautiful. We felt it was needed.”

Andrade departs Paris as the most decorated Brazil Olympian after winning four medals in France to take her overall Olympic tally to six. Sailors Robert Scheidt and Torben Grael jointly held the honour before, with five Games medals apiece. Andrade acrobatically leapt over them to claim top spot.

Andrade won two medals at the Covid-19-delayed Tokyo Games three years ago, including claiming silver in the individual all-around event at that tournament to become the first female artistic gymnast from Brazil to earn a podium spot.

Read more: Star reborn — Simone Biles’s Paris gold a glittering triumph on road to Olympic redemption

She improved on that milestone just days later when she became the first Brazilian woman to secure a gold medal in artistic gymnastics. It was an achievement that had proven elusive for Andrade’s role-model and one of the greatest Brazilian gymnasts of all-time – Daiane dos Santos.

With her four medals in Paris – one bronze, two silver and her floor routine gold – Andrade has confirmed herself as one of the greatest athletes of her generation. She will leave a legacy that will inspire a number of budding athletes in her native Brazil, as well as globally.

“I am very happy and proud about what I did,” Andrade said from Paris. “We came here every day to compete and perform. Gymnastics is not an easy sport, it requires a lot from our body and mind.”

Long road walked

When she was growing up in a favela (informal settlement) just outside São Paulo, ascending to the heights she has would have seemed a far-fetched fantasy for Andrade.

One of eight children that her mother Rosa Santos raised, Andrade displayed natural acrobatic skills from a young age.

“I was always active when I was a small child. So my aunt took me to the gym where she worked and I began doing gymnastics. It was amazing,” Andrade said in an interview published by the International Federation of Gymnastics.

“The gym looked like an amusement park. If it was not for that programme (that the gym ran for children), they wouldn’t have spotted my talent. I would have just been a girl playing on the street,” she said.

After impressing judges at the 2009 Junior Pan-American Games Andrade was invited to join the Paraná Center for Excellence in Gymnastics. Despite being just 10 years old, she took the opportunity to train professionally. Even though it meant she had to leave her family behind and venture out alone to another state.

Andrade’s career has soared since then, resulting in where she currently finds herself. However, the road to the summit she has reached was not always smooth.

Between 2015 and 2019, she suffered three anterior cruciate ligament injuries. After the second one – which happened in 2017 – she was tempted to quit the sport. However, in an interview with the Washington Post, she said it was Biles that helped dissuade her from walking away.

Both gymnasts have hinted at potential retirement in the near future. Whether they decide to continue or not, each of them has contributed significantly to gymnastics, as well as each other’s careers. DM

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Biles versus Andrade

Golden moment

Long road walked