In just a day, the Paris Olympics will kick off, and Simone Biles will headline the gymnastics events, ready for a showdown. However, despite her experience, she’ll need to bring her A-game. Enter Rebeca Andrade, Brazil’s gymnastics phenom and Biles’ fiercest competitor. After podium training wrapped up at the Bercy Arena on a high note on July 25, it’s clear that Brazil’s first-ever gymnastics Olympic champion means business. She’s already a beast on the vault as the reigning Olympic champion, but now she’s eyeing Simone’s title on Floor Exercise as well!

So, what’s got everyone buzzing? A post on X by @theblackestdae showed a clip of Rebeca’s new floor routine from podium training. It featured a whip + Chuso, front full to full-in with a hop out. The post was captioned, “She’s taking it,” and the gymternet went wild! A whip is a quick, tight backflip done with a straight body. It is crucial for connecting larger elements and building momentum for tougher skills in floor exercise. Additionally, one of the most challenging skills in gymnastics is the double layout with a full twist, also known as the Double Layout 1/1 or Chusovitina.

Named after Oksana Chusovitina, this move was pretty rare until around 2018 because it takes serious power and skill to pull off. Rebeca Andrade has taken things to a whole new level by combining these two elements, something that’s never been done before. So one fan couldn’t help but exclaim, “Along with the double pirouette + double step that Simone Biles does, this is the most difficult sequence ever performed by a female athlete in the history of World Artistic Gymnastics. Rebecca Andrade!”

Comparing Rebeca to the Chinese tumbling queen Jia Fangfang, another said, “Close enough, welcome back Jia Fangfang.” For context, Jia has won five world championships in tumbling—a world record—and is renowned for both the difficulty and execution of her tumbling passes.

Poor Lawyer, a gymnastics fan known for his routine breakdowns, added, “This pass is so fun! First one ever!” Breaking it down, the routine featured a whip + Chuso, front full to full-in with a hop out, Gogean, Mustafina, and a run through her third pass with a switch, switch 1/1, and a double pike with an awkward bounce. One fan wrote, “If you fall, you’re going to fall shooting, you know, Simone is going to have to fight hard in this Olympics. ” Reflecting on the comments, let’s dive into how Rebeca Andrade’s apparatus training went across the event.

Rebeca Andrade’s skills set to keep Simone Biles on high alert at the Paris Olympics

Brazil kicked things off in Subdivision 5 of podium training at the Bercy Arena. On vault, Rebeca Andrade came out swinging with a big Double Twisting Yurchenko. For her second vault, she nailed a beautiful Amanar with just a tiny hop back. Then, she did another stunning Cheng vault with only a small hop. She even landed another Cheng vault with just a hop. The much-anticipated Triple Twisting Yurchenko, which Andrade has submitted to the FIG’s Code of Points, however, was a no-show at the podium training.

On the Uneven Bars, Andrade impressed with a Maloney, stalder 1/1, piked Tkatchev, Pak, Maloney half, and a Pike Jaeger. She wrapped it up with a Toe 1/1 to a double-double. Her chest was a bit low on the landing, but it was still pretty solid. On Beam, she started with a switch mount, followed by switch, switch half, and split jump. She had a minor slip on her series (FF, LSO), but recovered well with a front aerial, ring jump, and a great switch ring. She finished with an aerial, a full turn, and a basically stuck double pike.

And she wrapped up the night with her epic floor routine, leaving everyone in awe. With the competition just days away, what are your thoughts on Rebeca Andrade’s performance at the Paris Olympics podium training and an epic showdown between Simone vs. Rebeca? Share your thoughts in the comments below!