Remember how thrilling the 2024 Paris Summer Games were? Nothing could beat the excitement each of the events brought. But if anyone had an incredible stint at the French capital, it would have to be Rebeca Andrade. The gymnast went on to win four Olympic medals at the Bercy Arena. She bagged gold on the floor exercise, silvers on the vault and the all-around, and a bronze in the team event. However, it wasn’t just about the medals. It was about how far she could go.

In the City of Light, that’s just what she did. Her performance redefined the very base of Brazilian gymnastics. But that’s not it! She became the most decorated Brazilian Olympian across all sports. In fact, this even got the attention of the G.O.A.T. of gymnastics, Simone Biles. The 27-year-old lost to the gymnast in the floor exercise. Despite creating history, the 6x Olympic medalist wasn’t sure what her future would hold. What really went down?

Rebeca Andrade pulls the curtains off her gymnastics future

The gymnast etched her name at the 2020 Tokyo Games by clinching gold in the vault event and securing silver in the individual all-around competition. With this, Rebeca Andrade became the first female Brazilian gymnast to win a medal at the Olympic Games. But she believed that this was her full circle moment and wanted to bid the sport she loved adieu. “Gymnastics is a sport that demands a lot from us, from our bodies, and because of the injuries, I have been feeling a lot of pain. It is a part of life; at some point you have to stop,” she admitted.

What had been holding her back, you ask? Leading up to the Paris Games, the gymnast was dealing with one adversity after the other. Yet, bagging her fourth medal in the Bercy Arena made all of it worthwhile. Understandably so, she wanted to step off the mat after such an incredible high. But this changed things. Not only did the public celebrate her victories as their own, but they celebrated her as well. “But I had a different scenario, and I will continue.” It’s never easy to contest on the world’s grandest stage. 

This was supposed to be Rebeca Andrade’s last hurrah, but it transformed into so much more. “It transforms us, shows our strength, our capacity and there are pains that are worth it,” she confessed. Life had never been easy for the 25-year-old. However, consistent injuries had caused several minor bumps in her journey. In fact, it pushed her into one of the darkest phases of her life. Through it all, she found solace in her physiologist, Aline Wolff.

With Wolff’s help, she discovered how to understand body awareness, giving the Sao Paulo native more confidence on the mat. “Even though gymnastics is a difficult sport, it also brings me a lot of joy. I am grateful; everything I have achieved is because of it,” the Olympian admitted. In fact, the gymnast received her flowers after the women’s gymnastics floor finals. After she bested Simone Biles in the event, the G.O.A.T. and Jordan Chiles decided to bow to her as she stepped on the top of the podium. But how did her harrowing experience nearly crush her dreams?

The 25-year-old felt like a house of cards

The Olympian never had an easy life growing up. There was a point where her family was financially struggling. It got so bad, most days she couldn’t afford the bus fare to go training. However, gymnastics helped her navigate through all that, albeit a few detours. What could those detours be? Well, the 25-year-old had dealt with three gruesome ACL injuries throughout her career. The first ACL injury happened around 2015.

Rebeca Andrade was looking to compete at the World Championships that year but had to withdraw due to this. After momentarily kicking back her legs, she returned to the mat. In fact, she played a crucial role in Brazil’s Olympic qualification in 2016. Given how promising things looked, the gymnast prepared for another rousing meet at the World Championships in 2017. But another ACL tear crept in, resulting in her withdrawing from the event for the second time.

If there’s one thing the 25-year-old didn’t enjoy, it was staying away from the mat for too long. Despite recovering in 2018, she made a triumphant return. The gymnast was back on the mat at the Brazilian Nationals, but her third ACL injury was the final nail in the coffin. It even happened to be on the same knee. In fact, the injuries were so bad, the 25-year-old had to get reconstructive surgeries every single time. However, this only fueled the Olympian’s spirit more.

Rebeca Andrade reflected on her journey, “I’ve torn my ACL three times, and every time I thought it was the end. But I reminded myself that quitting was not an option.” The gymnast has faced several setbacks in her life; there’s no question about that. However, it helped smoothen the rough edges and motivate her to fight for what matters. She instead focused on training as much as she could, and this brought the gymnast so much joy. Even though quitting gymnastics seemed like the best bet momentarily, she now understood that she had worked incredibly hard to make it this far.