After second consecutive individual Olympic silver, Rebeca Andrade eyes farewell to all-around
Was that the last individual all-around gymnastics meet we'll see from now two-time Olympic runner-up Rebeca Andrade?
It just might be.
"I believe so," Andrade told the Brazilian press after securing a second, consecutive silver medal, this time finishing runner-up to Simone Biles at Paris 2024, three years after she was second to Suni Lee.
"Doing the all-around, to me, it demands a lot from my body, my lower limbs, legs, knees," she continued. "But I said that the future belongs to God: What if I something comes up in my head [or] my body gets better? I don’t know.
"But I have worked this in my head and I wanted tonight to be a very special competition because, to me, that was my last all-around."
Andrade had hinted as much after the team final on Tuesday (30 July), when she led the Brazilian squad to a first-ever Olympic medal in women's gymnastics.
Andrade was out front of eventual champion Biles after two apparatus, with the American struggling on uneven bars as the leaders headed to beam and floor. But Biles held firm on beam, then soared high to secure her gold on her signature event.
Andrade finished with her own exclamation point, celebrating in full as the final scores were announced and it was clear she had wrapped up the silver.
She took pride in pushing the athlete many call the GOAT not just of women's gymnastics but in all of sport.
"Knowing that I gave Simone a bit of work is cool, right?" she said, laughing. "She’s the best in the world, Simone is a phenomenon. We didn’t see it just here, but also in many competitions that she has done. I’m so proud of being able to compete by her side."