How Brazil's Rebeca Andrade overcame adversity to beat GOAT Simone Biles

Brazilian gymnast, Rebeca Andrade, shone at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championship, which took place recently in Antwerp, Belgium. She won five medals: one gold (on vault), three silver (teams, individual all-around, and individual on floor), and one bronze (individual on beam).

The American Simone Biles, who, with this World Cup, became the most decorated athlete in the history of her country, showed her joy at each of Rebeca Andrade's achievements.

In fact, upon discovering that Andrade had surpassed her in the jump, Biles made a beautiful gesture: she simulated taking a crown from her own head and placing it on the Brazilian's.

This photo shows Andrade in the vault final. Her average score was 14,750, compared to 14,549 for Simone Biles, who came in second place.

In teams, Rebeca Andrade won the silver medal, alongside her colleagues Flávia Saraiva, Jade Barbosa, Lorrane Oliveira and Júlia Soares.

The second silver medal won by Andrade was in the all-around, first place went to Simone Biles. The person who took bronze was Shilese Jones, also from the American team.

Rebeca Andrade shone in her solo series, whose theme was 'pop divas', accompanied by a mashup of "End of Time", by Beyoncé, and "Movimento da Sanfoninha", by Rafael Castilho and DJ Pimpa.

Finally, Rebeca Andrade took bronze, on the balance beam, with 14,300 points, against 14,700 from China's Zhou Yaqin and 14,800 from Simone Biles.

Brazil finished the World Cup with six medals (one being bronze on floor exercise for Flavia Saraiva), a record in artistic gymnastics world championships for the country.

Rebeca Andrade was born in Guarulhos, São Paulo, on May 8, 1999. From an early age, she showed an aptitude for gymnastics and, at the age of 4, began her journey on mats and uneven bars.

She grew up in a family of seven siblings, under the care of her single mother, Rosa, who worked as a cleaner to finance her training. At first, her older brother accompanied her, on foot, on a two-hour journey to training, until they finally got a bicycle.

It was her aunt who encouraged her to start training, at the age of four, at Ginásio Bonifácio Cardoso. At that time, Andrade became known as the "Daianinha de Guarulhos" after the great Brazilian gymnast Daiane dos Santos (pictured).

At the age of eleven, Andrade began training at the Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, in Rio de Janeiro, where she is still a member to this day.

In 2012, at the age of 13, she participated in her first international championships: Junior Pan-American Championship and Junior South American Championship, where she received his first gold medals in both championships.

This was also Andrade's debut year at the national level in the elite category, winning the Brazilian Artistic Gymnastics Trophy and surpassing renowned gymnasts on the national scene, such as Jade Barbosa and Daniele Hypólito.

In 2014, an injury to her big toe prevented her from participating in the Nanjing Youth Olympics, being replaced by Flávia Saraiva, and forced her to end that season.

This would not be the first injury that the athlete would suffer throughout her career. The following year, after her debut in international adult competitions at the Gymnastics World Cup, where she won a bronze medal, a torn ligament in her right knee prevented her participation in the Pan American Games and her debut at the World Championships.

Andrade came back firing the following year. In 2016, she won the silver medal in the uneven bars at the Doha World Cup. She was also one of those selected to represent Brazil at the 2016 Olympics, held in Rio de Janeiro.

In 2017, Rebeca Andrade won her first gold medal in an adult competition, at the World Cup in Koper, Slovenia. That same year she ruptured her knee ligament again. Upon recovering, she participated in the Cottbus World Cup in 2018, where she won the gold medal in the table vault and balance beam, in addition to the silver medal in the uneven bars.

2019 was a difficult year for the Brazilian, who suffered her third knee injury, during the Brazilian Championship, which prevented her from participating in that year's World Cup.

Photo: Instagram @rebecarandrade

But this would not be enough to prevent Andrade from qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Games, a championship for which she gained international recognition, being invited to participate in events and television programs around the world.

This is because Rebeca made history by winning the silver medal in the all-around, becoming the first Brazilian gymnast to win a medal in artistic gymnastics events at the Olympics.

In addition to silver, Rebeca also reached the podium with gold in the vault, demonstrating her incredible dexterity and skill and becoming the first Brazilian athlete with two medals in the same Olympics.

Her journey of overcoming and resilience, after so many obstacles, made her a reference for athletes around the world, inspiring them to never give up on their dreams. With her career on the rise and an unshakable determination, Rebeca Andrade's future promises even more.