Imagine tearing your ACL not once, not twice, but three times. Most people would have thrown in the towel, right? But not Rebeca Andrade. Every time she thought about quitting, she remembered her family—the sacrifices they made, the hard work they put in to help her chase her dreams. Born in a favela, she wasn’t just fighting for herself; she was carrying the hopes of everyone who believed in her. And boy, did she deliver. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, she made history as the first Brazilian woman to win gold in gymnastics. She didn’t stop there, snagging a silver in the all-around.

Fast forward to Paris 2024, and Rebeca was on another level. She didn’t just arrive and play the game; she owned the game and the floor. Four Olympic medals: bronze in the team event, silver in the all-around and vault, and a breathtaking gold on the floor. There was even Simone Biles, the queen of them all, commenting on Rebeca’s progress after the all-around victory. But wait, there is more—Rebeca’s journey to Paris wasn’t about sacrificing everything. Indeed, she said to FIG honestly that she never felt like having to put her life on the line for the sports for the Paris Olympics.

 “I don’t think I deprived myself of anything,” Andrade said. “I’m a very laid-back person. I really like staying at home, watching TV shows and movies, spending time with my dogs, and having my family with me. My priority was the Games—I really wanted to be in the Olympics.” Sure, she worked hard in the gym and rehabbed like a beast, but she also made time for the things she loved. Her priority was the Paris Olympics, but she didn’t lose herself in the process.

This is crazy because Rebeca Andrade’s victory was not some sort of overnight success story. So by the time she got to Tokyo, she’d been racing for years, had one World Championship, and she had never gotten to even an individual final. Seeing her at her best in Tokyo was like seeing the light being switched on for a precious diamond. No, it was not talent; it was the years of hard work, the struggle, and, yes, the confidence in herself that made those performances exceptional. For Rebeca it was all about moderation; she gave one hundred percent during the competition while at the same time doing what made her feel content. And really, isn’t that the winning position? Yes, it is! But more than her, the credit goes to her family.

Rebeca Andrade walked miles every day just to train!

Rebeca Andrade grew up in a tough environment, the youngest of eight siblings, raised by her single mother, Rosa, who cleaned houses to make ends meet. There were times when money was so tight they had to borrow just to get food on the table. Rebeca once shared in an interview, “All the clothes I had came from people I knew.”

Still, her family was always there for her, and her brother Emerson was especially supportive of her, taking her to training sessions every day, even if they couldn’t afford food or the bus fare. At times, when other problems arose within the family, coaches themselves came forward to help by giving Rebeca a lift so that she could continue with her training schedule. It was hard to believe how committed Rebeca was—she had to walk for hours from the favela, which was outside Sao Paulo, to the training center, and she did this until the age of ten.

But as miserable as her childhood was, real problems started when she was older. Rebeca suffered three different ACL injuries in a span of four years, between 2015 and 2019. Despite the first injury, she continued to participate in the 2016 Rio Olympics, which proved how strong she was. However, in 2017 during the World Championships, she had the same problem at its worst when she tore her ACL and could not proceed further. But she wasn’t out of commission for long—she returned in 2018, only to reinjure the same tendon during the Brazilian Nationals. It would have been easy to quit, but she didn’t. Every time she was knocked down, she found a way to come back stronger. Her story is one of never giving up, no matter how many times life threw challenges her way.