SAO PAULO:
As Rebeca Andrade prepares to defend the Olympic vault gold she took in Tokyo after Simone Biles dramatically withdrew, she instructed AFP she hopes that in Paris the American is at “her greatest”.
In Tokyo, Biles topped vault qualifying however then suffered an assault of ‘the twisties’ on the identical equipment within the staff occasion.
After shedding her sense of spatial consciousness, Biles withdrew from a number of occasions, together with the vault ultimate, to give attention to her psychological well being.
In Biles’ absence, Andrade gained the gold. She then took the vault gold on the world championships in 2021 and the all-round gold in 2022.
Biles returned with a bang on the World Championships in Antwerp final autumn, successful 4 golds and a silver. Andrade took three silvers, second to Biles every time, however beat the American to gold within the vault.
Andrade mentioned she is wanting ahead to the duel in Paris, saying gold medals aren’t her focus.
“It is about doing my greatest,” she mentioned. “And I hope she (Biles) does too, that she does her greatest, as a result of it is an honour to have the ability to compete alongside her.”
Andrade was the primary Brazilian girl to win a gymnastics gold.
She “is Biles’ fundamental opponent right now, it is regular that the highlight is on her,” Ney Wilson of the Brazilian Olympic Committee instructed AFP, including that they had been listening to the psychological well being of their greatest gymnastics star after what occurred to the American in Tokyo.
“We’re monitoring her intently, notably her psychological preparation. She is properly ready, she doesn’t really feel any further stress regardless of her standing,” Wilson added.
Andrade mentioned that specializing in efficiency moderately than outcomes meant “I can management my head quite a bit.”
Within the girls’s all spherical occasion in Antwerp, American Shilese Jones was third behind Biles and Andrade: the primary time at a serious gymnastics championship that three black girls had stood on the rostrum.
“Illustration, proper?” Andrade mentioned. “We’re seeing much more black athletes and with the ability to symbolize and encourage so many youngsters and younger individuals who beforehand thought they could not dream however right now cannot solely dream however can consider that it’s doable.”
On the age of 5, Andrade, who turns 25 on Wednesday, went to a health club in her house metropolis of Guarulhos, close to Sao Paulo.
“I keep in mind that she was already muscular, with a whole lot of power in her little legs and arms,” mentioned coach Monica Barroso dos Anjos.
Two years earlier Daiane Dos Santos had gained Brazil’s first girl gymnastics world champion, within the flooring excercise.
“I requested her to do a cartwheel, then some jumps,” continues Barroso dos Anjos.
“Then I instructed my colleague and mentioned ‘we have now the brand new Daiane Dos Santos’.”
Like Dos Santos, Andrade is Afro-Brazilian and comes from a poor background.
Andrade and her seven brothers and sisters had been raised by a single mom, Rosa Santos, who labored as a home cleaner.
Her aunt, Cida, was a prepare dinner on the Bonifacio de Cardoso gymnasium. However little Rebeca didn’t manage to pay for to get there by bus.
Her brother Emerson would wait after coaching to escort little Rebeca on the lengthy stroll house.
“I did not wish to lose this treasured stone that needed to be minimize right here,” mentioned Barroso dos Anjos, who has Andrade’s silhouette tattooed on her again.
“She could not sit nonetheless,” mentioned Barroso dos Anjos. “If we put music on, she would begin dancing or imitating the actions of the older women.”
On the age of 10, she moved to Rio to work with coach Junior Fagundes.
“The whole lot about her was above common, the acrobatics, the physique consciousness, the mastery of spins,” he mentioned.
She made her worldwide debut at 13, however knee accidents compelled her to endure three operations between 2015 and 2019.
Her resilience paid off in Tokyo.
Again on the Guarulhos health club, registration exploded after these exploits.
A big fresco of Andrade decorates the wall of the room the place dozens of little women dream of emulating the native heroine.
“It makes me a bit nervous to suppose that she educated right here earlier than, but it surely additionally conjures up me,” mentioned nine-year-old Estela Leal Camargo.
“I want I had the boldness she had when she walked into this health club.”
