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Rebeca Andrade scripted history by becoming Brazil's first all-around world champion in Liverpool, England. Andrade, who won the Olympic silver medal in Tokyo, in the all-around event, became the first South American to win the prestigious title.
The 23-year-old scored 56.899 to claim the gold medal, beating American Shilese Jones (55.399) who won silver, and Britain's Jessica Gadirova, who took bronze with 55.199.
The 2021 world champion in the vault has qualified for the Balance Beam and Floor Exercise finals this year. While the world awaits to see her performance in the apparatus finals at the championships, let's delve deeper into the life of Rebeca Andrade.
Rebeca Andrade early life
Rebeca was born on May 8, 1999, in the city of Guarulhos, Brazil, and was one of the eight children of her single mother, Rosa. She started her involvement in gymnastics when she was four years old at a gym where her mother used to work. She later moved to Rio de Janeiro to train at the Flamengo Sports Club at the age of 10.
Within no time, the prodigy made her international debut at just 13 years of age at the Junior Pan American Championships, where she helped Brazil win the team silver medal. She also won several individual events: a gold medal in the all-around, vault, and floor exercise, and a bronze medal on the balance beam.
Rebeca was very successful on the junior circuit before making her senior international debut in 2015 at the Ljubljana World Cup, where she won the bronze medal on uneven bars.
She went on to help the Brazilian team qualify for the team event finals at the Rio Olympics and also individually qualified in the individual all-around event. However, she finished 11th in the individual event and her team finished eighth after she fell on the floor exercise.
Rebeca helped the Brazilian team win silver at the Pan American 2018 championships. However, a series of injuries troubled her performance as she tore her ACL for the third time in 2019. She even tested positive for the COVID-19 pandemic. Questions arose about whether she would be able to compete again.
Rebecca won her first Olympic medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
After getting enough recovery time due to the pandemic, Rebeca finally made a strong comeback in 2021 where she won her first Olympic and World Championship medal.
At the Tokyo Olympics, she went on to win two medals, a silver in the all-around event and a gold in the vault final. She scripted history by becoming the first Brazilian gymnast to win an Olympic medal.
Post the Olympics, Rebeca Andrade continued her winning streak at the World Championships in Japan. She finished her campaign with a gold in the vault event and silver in the uneven bars event, becoming the first Brazilian to win a medal on uneven bars.
She also became the second Brazilian to win a gold medal at the Worlds, the first being Daiane dos Santos, who won gold in the floor exercise event in 2003.
Rebeca Andrade's performances have raised the quality of how gymnastics is perceived in Brazil. At the 2022 Pan American Championships, she won the gold medal on uneven bars as well as the silver medal on the balance beam.
She helped her team finish top of the table ahead of the United States, first time since 1997. Following this historic win, Rebeca Andrade spoke to the Olympic Channel and said:
"This win is very big for the future of gymnastics [in Brazil], for the girls that are coming up and the ones who came before us."
Meanwhile, Rebeca continues her successful form at the World Championships in Liverpool. She is a perfect example of how perseverance and dedication can help fulfil dreams. There is no doubt that Rebeca Andrade is Brazil's brightest prospect for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
