It is truly difficult to defeat three-time Olympic medallist Simone Biles, but it is definitely possible.
Rebeca Andrade, a Brazilian gymnast who has competed against Biles previously, may be Biles’ toughest opponent in the all-around finals. The athlete claimed that, of all her rivals, Andrade scares her the most.
Who is Rebeca Andrade?
Andrade won gold in the vault at the World Championships last year, while Biles brought home the silver medal. With this triumph, Andrade became the first competitor to outperform Biles on the vault since 2015. In 2022, Andrade also took home the gold medal for the global all-around.
She won a silver medal in the all-around competition at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, making history as the first South American to reach the podium. She came in second to Sunisa Lee of Team USA, and four days later, she defeated American MyKayla Skinner in the vault to win gold.
However, the Brazilian gymnast’s road to fame wasn’t without difficulties. She has demonstrated perseverance in the face of hardship after enduring potentially career-ending injuries to gymnasts. She acquired ACL tears in 2015, 2017 and 2019 and endured three knee surgeries.
Who will win?
In the uneven bars division, Andrade has a chance to surpass Biles. Even when the American performs a challenging routine with good technique on the apparatus, Andrade can outperform her in the judges’ eyes due to her superior swing.
The balance beam, on the other hand, is a wild card: while both gymnasts do well, Andrade would need to up the complexity of her performance in order to surpass Biles.
Biles has a big edge in the floor routine because of her difficulty. Andrade’s impressive dancing abilities, however, may be her secret weapon given that the artistry is taken into account while calculating the score. Until Andrade improves her routine, Biles is the preferred athlete overall on the floor.
Rebeca Andrade will compete for gold regardless of all the outcomes of the competition. She declared: “They should wait for me to give 110%, regardless of what happens in the competition…I will get there, give myself, body and soul, even with all the attention and expectations.”
Source: CNN