What a historic day July 30th, 2024, turned out to be in women’s gymnastics! Over 20,000 eager fans flocked to Boulevard de Bercy, ready to witness the ultimate showdown between gymnastics giants at the Paris Olympics: USA, Italy, China, Brazil, Japan, Canada, Great Britain, and Romania. History was made as Simone Biles became the most decorated US gymnast ever, and Italy snagged their first Olympic team medal since 1928 with a stunning silver. But wait, let’s talk about Brazil!

Since their Olympic debut at the 2004 Athens Olympics, they’ve been fighting tooth and nail in the team competition. In 2004, they placed 9th with a squad featuring Camila Comin, Daniele Hypólito, Caroline Molinari, Ana Paula Rodrigues, Daiane dos Santos, and Laís Souza. By 2008, they had upped their game to 8th place, with Jade Barbosa, Ethiene Franco, Daniele Hypólito, Daiane dos Santos, Ana Cláudia Silva, and Laís Souza.

Then came 2012, and they slipped to 12th place with Daniele Hypólito, Ethiene Franco, Harumy de Freitas, Bruna Leal, and Daiane dos Santos. In 2016, they were back in the top 10, finishing 8th with Daniele Hypólito, Jade Barbosa, Rebeca Andrade, Flávia Saraiva, and Lorrane Oliveira, with Carolyne Pedro as the alternate. The team didn’t participate in 2020, but 2024 is a different story. They’ve finally snagged that coveted bronze medal with a dream team of Rebeca Andrade, Jade Barbosa, Lorrane Oliveira, Flávia Saraiva, and Júlia Soares.

Andreza Lima and Carolyne Pedro were the alternates, cheering their hearts out. This moment is a watershed for Brazil, and in an exclusive chat with EssentiallySports right from the epicenter of gymnastics at the Paris Olympics, a proud mother couldn’t stop gushing about this historic feat.

In and around the buzzing neighborhood of Bercy, excitement, and celebration were in full swing after the epic gymnastics women’s team finals. The flags of Team USA, Brazil, and Italy waved high and proudly following their podium finishes. Our on-the-ground correspondent at the Paris Olympics, Shreya Verma, caught up with none other than Fabiana Soares, the mother of Julia Soares. Julia, along with Jade Barbosa, Lorrane Oliveira, Flavia Saraiva, and Rebeca Andrade, clinched the team bronze medal. Fabiana, dressed in a vibrant yellow and green jersey, was beaming with pride as she loudly proclaimed, “My daughter Julia Soares is an Olympic medalist!”

Fabiana reminisced about Julia’s journey from a four-year-old toddler to now being an Olympian. Julia showed talent right from her international senior debut at the 2021 Pan American Championships, where she helped Brazil win team gold and snagged an individual bronze on the balance beam. Not to forget Julia’s incredible candle mount with a half twist on the balance beam, now proudly named after her in the Code of Points. This 18-year-old from Curitiba was also a key player in the silver medal-winning Brazilian team at the 2023 World Championships.

“I’m so happy and excited. I’ve been waiting for 15 years for this moment,” Fabiana shared, her eyes sparkling with joy. She wrapped up her chat with EssentiallySports by giggling happily and grinning from ear to ear, “I’m very very happy.” It’s taken 20 years, but these magnificent five have finally made it happen! It was no easy feat—there was actual blood, sweat, and tears shed for this team effort.

The bloody battle put up by Rebeca Andrade, Jade Barbosa, Lorrane Oliveira, Flávia Saraiva, and Júlia Soares at the Paris Olympics

The first rotation for Team Brazil at the Paris Olympics team finals kicked off on the Uneven Bars, and it was a start full of drama! Lorrane Oliveira got things rolling with a solid routine, nailing her moves but taking a deep step on her double front dismount, earning her a 13.000. Then came Flavia Saraiva, who made quite the entrance with a black eye. She had a terrifying fall in the final moments before the competition started, slipping off the eight-foot high bar and accidentally kneeing herself in the eye. But, tough as nails, the Brazilians didn’t let that shake them. Jade Barbosa quickly patched up Saraiva’s cut above her right eyebrow.

Bandaged and bruised, Flavia took to the bars like a warrior. She nailed her pirouette to Tkachev to Pak series, Maloney to Gienger, and double front dismount with a few steps back, scoring 13.666. Rebeca Andrade closed out the rotation with a stunning routine. Her Maloney to stalder full to piked Tkachev to Pak to van Leeuwen was flawless. She followed it with a blind change to a big piked Jaeger and finished strong with a toe full and a full-in dismount, earning a 14.533. By the end of the first rotation, Brazil was sitting in 5th place with a score of 41.199. Not a bad start, considering the bumps and bruises!

In the second rotation, Brazil tackled the Balance Beam. Julia Soares had a tough time, taking an early fall and scoring 12.400. Flavia Saraiva, ever the fighter, hit everything at the start but had a big break at the hips on her switch ring. She managed to hold on and nailed her double pike with a big step back, earning 13.433. Rebeca Andrade showed her class, hitting the acro series with a bit of a bounce, but recovered well. She had a big break at the hips on her switch ring but saved it like a pro, finishing with a side aerial and a double pike with a small hop, scoring 14.133. By the end of the second rotation, Brazil was in 6th place with 81.165.

In rotation three, the Brazilians took on the Floor Exercise. Julia Soares started off with some solid passes, showing a good full-in and double pike, though she took a big step back on the latter, scoring 13.233. Flavia Saraiva continued to impress, hitting her opening pass and the 1.5 to front full, with just a step forward on her double pike, scoring 13.533. Rebeca Andrade dazzled once again with a full-twisting double layout and a beautifully stuck double layout. Despite a big bounce on her double pike, she scored an impressive 14.200. By the end of this rotation, Brazil remained in 6th place with a score of 122.131.

In rotation four, Team Brazil fought their hardest on the vault. Jade Barbosa kicked things off with a Yurchenko double full, but it didn’t have much height and she ended up really low, taking a big step off the mat. She scored 13.366. Flavia Saraiva followed with her own Yurchenko double full, landing a big step forward but still delivering a solid performance, earning 13.900. Then came Rebeca Andrade, and boy, did she deliver!

Her gorgeous, huge Cheng vault was practically flawless, with just a hop back, scoring a massive 15.100—the highest score on vault for the night. That’s right, her score was two-tenths higher than Simone Biles’ earlier vault that helped Team USA secure gold. This crowning effort from Andrade, the reigning Olympic and world silver medallist in the individual all-around, surged Brazil into third place with a total of 164.497. And this was no small feat for the 25-year-old, who had battled a series of career-threatening injuries in recent years.But the nail-biting wasn’t over yet.

The team had to wait for the final beam performance from the British. When the scoreboard finally confirmed that Brazil had held off Great Britain by just 0.234 points, they erupted in celebration, wiping tears from their faces. With that, Brazil secured their coveted bronze medal. Jade Barbosa, 33, summed up the moment perfectly: “Twenty years ago, in Athens, Brazil made it to the Olympic team final for the first time in history. Twenty years later, we’re here with our first-ever Olympic team medal.”

Reflecting on this heartfelt journey, Fabiana Soares shared some truly touching words with EssentiallySports from the Paris Olympics. What are your thoughts on her sweet sentiments? Share in the comments below!