Rebeca Andrade: My mom and siblings “made my dream possible.”
Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade’s path two Olympic glory wasn’t easy.
The reigning world and Olympic vaulting champion tore her ACL three times in four years from 2015 to 2019, but early on in her career, she faced other hardships.
“The hardest part was the financial aspect,” Andrade said according to CGTN America. “My mother walked to work so that I could use her bus pass to go to the gym with my brother, so I am very grateful to her and my sibling who made my dream possible.”
Andrade was raised by a single mother, who cleaned homes, with seven brothers and sisters.
“Regardless of where you come from, your financial situation, or your colour, you have to believe in yourself and not let anyone stop you from achieving your goals,” Andrade said.
She certainly hasn’t.
Since winning all-around silver and vault gold at Tokyo 2020 in 2021, Andrade has collected nine medals at World Championships editions, including a historic win in the women’s all-around in 2022. Last year, she finished runner-up to American Simone Biles.
Though Andrade heads to Paris with the very real possibility of adding many more medals to her collection, she’s approaching it with calmness.
“I personally don’t feel that much pressure,” she said. “But of course, Brazilians really want us to keep delivering results and we do, too. But we need to stay focused because if we get too caught up in expectations, I, for example, risk losing sight of what truly matters: myself and my performance.”
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From the vault…
This week, we take a look back at the People’s Republic of China on the balance beam from the women’s team final at the Olympic Games London 2012. The squad, which finished fourth in the overall standings, was led by Sui Lu on the event. She earned a 15.366 mark.