After experiencing 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. Andrade, who will compete in the women's gymnastics all-around as well as balance beam, floor, and vault individual events in Paris, is herself is an icon in the sport in Brazil. Andrade is the Olympic silver medalist in the all-around from Tokyo and was chosen by her countrymates to carry the flag at the closing ceremonies for those Games.
She won the all-around title at the world championships in , when Biles did not compete, bested Biles at the world championships in vault, and is the reigning Olympic vault champion. In Paris, she is expected to unleash a new vault skill, a triple twisting Yurchenko in which she pushes herself off the vault in a backflip and executes three twists before landing. If she does so successfully, she will join Biles in having a move named after her.
Biles has five so far and is looking to add to that tally. She's used her recovery from her injuries to continue adding difficulty to her routines, bringing her the real possibility of outscoring Biles if the Greatest of All Time has an off night.
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Get Our Olympics Newsletter in Your Inbox Andrade is the Olympic silver medalist in the all-around from Tokyo and was chosen by her countrymates to carry the flag at the closing ceremonies for those Games.
