Rebeca Andrade nominated for two Panam Sports awards after historic Santiago 2023 campaign
Plus, Olivia Dunne named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 list and a look back at Team USA on the floor exercise from Beijing 2008
Artistic Gymnastics
Brazilian superstar gymnast Rebeca Andrade may be on the brink of yet more accolades.
The 2023 World vaulting champion and reigning Olympic gold medallist on the event is nominated for two Panam Sports Awards: Best Female Athlete and Changemaker.
Fans can vote for the winners on the Panam Sports website through 5 December with the winners set to be announced on 9 December at a live ceremony in Miami.
The 24-year-old has been on a historic tear since Tokyo 2020 where she became the first South American woman to reach the women’s all-around podium, finishing in second behind American Sunisa Lee. Days later, she won a historic Olympic title on the vault.
At the three World Championships since Tokyo 2020, Andrade has nine medals including two vault golds and the 2022 world all-around title. She brought home five gold medals in total from the 2023 edition.
“I don’t think I imagined the number of medals, but I really wanted that,” Andrade told Olympics.com of her 11 career World and Olympic medal haul in an exclusive interview. “From the moment I had it in my head that that was what I wanted, I knew it could happen.
Andrade’s 2023 season was capped by four medals (two gold, two silver) at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, her first appearance at the Games.
Olivia Dunne named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list
Louisiana State University gymnast Olivia Dunne was named to Forbes magazine’s 30 Under 30 list for sports.
Dunne, 21, is a former U.S. junior national team member and uneven bars All American at LSU. Over the past three years, Dunne has become one of the sport’s most visible athletes with massive followings on TikTok and Instagram.
New rules for collegiate athletes in name, image and likeness have allowed Dunne to soar, securing big brand deals. She's appeared in mainstream media, as well, including the 2023 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.
Dunne and her LSU Tigers are set for their Gymnastics 101 exhibition on 16 December with their first competition of the 2024 season scheduled for 5 January against Ohio State University.
From the vault…
This week, we take a look back at the women of Team USA on the floor exercise during qualifying at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The squad posted the second highest score on the event, led by Shawn Johnson’s 15.425 and Nastia Liukin’s 15.350.