Behind all her dazzling spectacles, nobody knew about her invisible battles. The 25-year-old made global headlines at the Paris Olympics, where she defeated the GOAT of gymnastics, Simone Biles with her floor routine and the image of Biles and her American teammate, Jordan Chiles, bowing to the Brazilian artistic gymnast at the top of the podium soon became one of the Games’ most iconic moments. Little did we know beneath the poise, the gravity-defying routines, and the triumphant podium moments she was managing an undercurrent of struggle, all while claiming six Olympic medals

Rebeca Andrade is a force of nature. At the Tokyo Olympics, the Sao Paulo native created history, winning gold in the women’s vault event and silver in the women’s all-around event. Not being done yet, in 2024, she snatched Olympic gold in the women’s floor routine, and silver in the vault and all-around event. What’s more, the gymnastics sensation also claimed bronze in the women’s team event the same year! While the global audience saw an athlete at her peak, Andrade had been fighting a silent battle. Only recently, the Olympic champion sat down with BBC 100 Women’s Camilla Veras Mota to discuss how she overcame three ACL injuries and how she deals with mental health demons while competing in a sport like gymnastics.

“It was hard,” Rebeca Andrade admitted in a deeply candid interview with BBC. “But with the help of my psychologist Aline, I got to know more about my body and understood the things that worked for me, setting my priorities and doing a lot of exercises to get to know myself.” Her journey through therapy, spanning 13 years, became the foundation of her resilience. “It took me 11 years to be able to put everything into practice, and now, things are flowing.” It wasn’t just about refining routines or sticking landings; it was about unlearning fear, embracing confidence, and forging a mental toughness that could withstand the pressure of global competition.

Owing to a rough start to her life, Andrade’s approach was very different from what most would expect of elite athletes. A family of eight, all brought up by a single mother. Her mother, cleaned houses to feed the family. The gymnast just knew she had to stand out. Despite adversities, the 25-year-old always emerged stronger than them, “People get emotional when they conquer their biggest goals. And my way is to smile. It’s not that I don’t feel like crying, it’s that I smile. My joy is greater than my tears,” she said. It’s a philosophy that has shaped her as an athlete and a person—one that defies the standard image of triumph and replaces it with something uniquely her own. While her fans pine to see the Olympic medalist smiling on the podium again, Andrade is taking it slow. She is prioritizing her longevity in the sport above anything else.

And yet, the fire still burns—her dream of executing the Yurchenko triple twist remains alive. “I sat down with [coach] Chico [Porath], we talked, and we understood that this first phase will be about taking care of my body, my muscle pains, the aches I was complaining about last year.” At 25, she knows longevity in gymnastics is about more than just pushing through pain—it’s about pacing herself for the moments that truly matter. But dishearteningly, even if she comes back, she will remain absent from the event that fetched her Olympic gold.

No Floor for Rebeca Andrade in the next WC

Rebeca Andrade isn’t making any promises just yet. With the World Championships in Jakarta looming this October, the six-time Olympic medalist remains uncertain about her participation. “I don’t know what will happen with Worlds; we need to train,” Andrade admitted. “Right now, my focus is on recovering my body, getting rid of all the pain I have, and then we’ll see.” Well, we are all hoping for a miracle like when in 2019 she thought the third ACL tear was the final blow to her gymnastics career, but a warm hug from a teammate Lorraine Oliveira fixed it all. But even if she reappears on the mat, she will remain absent from the floor event.

One thing is certain: fans won’t be seeing her on the floor exercise again. The Brazilian superstar is not playing around when it comes to recovery. Rebeca Andrade, who captivated the world with her incredible performances in the Tokyo and Paris Olympics, and secured gold for her outstanding floor routine in 2024, scoring an incredible 14.166, has made the difficult decision, and she has solid reasons for the same.

“Vault and bars are totally fine for me, so I’ll do them,” she explained. “Beam I’m not sure, but it’s not as demanding on my body as floor. I’m sticking to the decision of not doing floor for now.” Although it will be disappointing to not catch a glimpse of the Olympic champion’s floor exercise any time soon, we are still hoping against hope that she shows up at the Worlds in Jakarta. The 25-year-old symbolizes resilience and incredible strength, and we wish her a speedy recovery so that she may soon realize her dream of executing the Yurchenko triple twist.