Inside Simone Biles' Relationship With Brazilian Gymnast Rebeca Andrade

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade shattered the illusion that beating American champion Simone Biles was impossible. During the women's floor finals, Andrade stunned crowds with a gorgeous routine, which included a front layout full to full-in and a double pike. Her score of 14.166 was just enough to edge out Biles' 14.133 for the gold medal. Following this incredible performance, Andrade became the single most decorated Brazilian athlete in Olympic history.

"I think that for these Olympics, it was definitely 'mission accomplished,'" Andrade told reporters in Portuguese following her big win (via YouTube). "I am very proud of all of our results and everything that we did here in the competition. Brazil made — in gymnastics, I mean — a beautiful performance." Interestingly, despite having come in second, Biles seemed proud of her South American competitor. "Rebeca, she's so amazing. She's a queen," Biles told reporters (per Olympics).

While Biles' ray of positivity might seem unusual coming from the competition, there is a reason why the gymnast has been so complimentary of Andrade. Biles and Andrade are not just sports rivals — they are also friends. Over the years, the two athletes have taken what started as an intense competition and transformed it into a close rapport full of respect and admiration.

Rebeca Andrade first established herself as a major force to be dealt with in 2012 when she won the Brazilian Trophy in Artistic Gymnastics. Three years later, she competed in the Ljubljana Challenge Cup, where she earned a bronze medal on the uneven bars. Although that particular tournament represented one of Andrade's best international performances at the time, Simone Biles was not there to face off against the up-and-coming Brazilian talent.

In fact, it would take years for the two gymnasts to finally compete against each other. Leading up to the 2015 World Cup and Pan American Games, Andrade tore her right ACL. This devastating injury meant that Andrade had to undergo surgery and sit out of major competitions.

It was only in 2016, during the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, that Biles and Andrade were finally able to duke it out. During the tournament, Biles crushed her counterpart, who was still recovering from her knee injuries. Indeed, Biles won the women's all-round competition, while Andrade came in 11th place. Following the competition, the American was more focused on exploring Brazil than on competing with the Brazilian gymnast. "We're going to try to enjoy Rio. We want to go see Christ the Redeemer and go to the beach and hopefully attend diving tomorrow," Biles told Good Morning America's Robin Roberts at the time.

Rebeca Andrade did not pose much of a threat to Simone Biles in 2016, and for years, it seemed that this would not change. Following the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Andrade honed her skills, yet she failed to grow into a stronger athlete. In 2017, she tore her ACL a second time, interfering significantly with her performance. Her brother Emerson Andrade told The Washington Post that this was devastating: "She was telling me, 'My knee isn't the same, it doesn't bend right. My mother couldn't even watch, staying in the kitchen, because Rebeca was crying in pain."

By the time the 2018 World Championships in Qatar came rolling around, Andrade was considering stepping away from gymnastics forever. She had failed to medal at the tournament, and she was concerned that her knee would never allow her to achieve the same level of performance. 

Simone Biles has overcome tragedies of her own, and after spotting the younger gymnast sitting in the hotel lobby after the competition, the American reportedly offered Andrade encouragement. "It was such a kind moment, so affectionate, because there was no one else around," Andrade recalled in a conversation with The Washington Post. "She told me, 'Don't give up. You're talented. And you're going to get past this.'" Seeing that Biles had medaled across the board that year, Andrade took her advice seriously. The Brazilian considered what the American champion had said and decided not to give up.

Simone Biles' words clearly had an incredible impact on Rebeca Andrade. Prior to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the Brazilian became one of the best gymnasts in the world. Biles, too, remained a strong candidate for gold leading up to the competition, as she had won gold in the world all-around gymnastics tournament a year earlier.

Behind the scenes, though, both Andrade and Biles were struggling. In 2019, Andrade took to Instagram to share the devastating news that she would require a third ACL surgery due to an injury sustained during the GA Brazilian Championships. "Unfortunately, this injury happened, but be sure that I won't rest one day until I am once again 100%," Andrade shared. Biles, meanwhile, was suffering from a case of the "twisties" — a dangerous condition where a gymnast's mind and body fail to connect. "To do something that I've done forever and just not be able to do it because of everything I've gone through is really crazy," Biles said, later adding, "I don't think people understand the magnitude of what I go through" (via NPR).

In the end, Biles decided to drop out of the Olympics to focus on her mental health. Andrade, meanwhile, pushed through and cinched second place in the women's all-around. She also earned gold on the vault. This tournament established the Brazilian as one of Biles' biggest competitors.

It would be easy to think that Simone Biles might regret having encouraged Rebeca Andrade not to give up on gymnastics. After all, just five years after advising Andrade to continue competing, Biles realized that the younger gymnast was capable of eventually dethroning her. 

This became evident at the 2023 World Championships when Andrade earned a gold medal on the vault, bumping Biles down to second place. Andrade, who performed a beautiful Cheng to near perfection, earned a whopping 15.000 on her second jump. Biles, meanwhile, stumbled backward and fell onto the mat after giving her Yurchenko a little too much gas. When the final scores where revealed, Andrade appeared thrilled yet shocked. After all, she had become the first gymnast to defeat Biles on the vault since 2015.

Just because Andrade won the apparatus, though, does not meant that she and Biles developed any sort of bad blood. On the contrary, the two gymnasts were filmed holding hands when the final results were announced. Afterward, Andrade told the press that she could never see Biles' fall as a good thing. "I'm happy for my result, but sad about the fall because we know how much athletes train to do this vault," she said through a translator, according to ESPN. She went on to praise Biles for attempting a jump as complex as the Yurchenko. "I don't have the body for that," Andrade admitted.

Simone Biles is not bitter about Rebeca Andrade's success. If anything, she is thrilled to finally have a rival (at least, outside of Biles' online feud with MyKayla Skinner). Per Biles, Andrade provides her with an important sense of motivation. And, Biles has been extremely complimentary to Andrade during her interviews and public appearances.

In 2024, when Biles and Andrade faced off at the Olympic Games in Paris, Biles took home the gold in the women's all-around competition. Andrade, meanwhile, earned silver. "I don't want to compete with Rebeca no more. I'm tired," Biles joked, according to CNN. "She's way too close. I've never had an athlete that close, so it definitely put me on my toes, and it brought up the best athlete in myself, so I'm excited and proud to compete with her but ... It was uncomfortable, guys. I was stressing."

These words echoed a previous statement that Biles had made in her Netflix documentary, "Simone Biles Rising." When asked who she considered to be her biggest competition, the athlete responded, "Rebeca Andrade. She scares me the most" (via Sportskeeda). Reacting to this, Andrade told reporters, "I don't think it was a negative fear. As she [Biles] said before, we incentivize each other to be better and better. That's what she sees in me and what I see in her ... I'm really glad, and I feel the same way about her" (via X).

Simone Biles is not the only one who has tremendous respect for her competitor. Rebeca Andrade also views Biles as a major source of inspiration. As reported by Time, the Brazilian athlete spoke highly of her American rival after leading her cohort to bronze in the women's team event. Despite coming in third place behind the 2024 USA Olympic Gymnastics team — which proudly won gold — Andrade only had nice things to say.

"It is an honor to compete alongside her, to cheer for her," she gushed. "Simone is a reference for the entire world, not just for gymnastics, but for many athletes."

In a separate interview with France24, Andrade reaffirmed this sentiment and wished Biles well in the remainder of the tournament. "It's about doing my best. And I hope she [Biles] does too, that she does her best, because it's an honor to be able to compete alongside her," she said.

As much as Rebeca Andrade admires Simone Biles, she tries not to let the American get into her head during competitions. In interviews, Andrade has stated that she tries to clear her mind of anything other than her goals prior to a performance.

This was especially true during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Just before the women's individual floor competition, Biles approached Andrade and asked her which moves she was going to integrate into her routine. "She asked which routine I was going to do on the floor. If I was going to do a triple jump at the end of my jumps," Andrade told reporters, according to CNN Brasil. "I said, 'I don't know. Maybe.' She plays her cards, and I play mine." Apparently, Biles took this response quite well. "She laughed," Andrade recalled, before adding, "We have fun together."

In the same interview, Andrade went on to emphasize that she did not ask Biles about her own routine. "I don't want to know. Why would I want to know?" the Brazilian gymnast laughed. "She's huge! I trust my own work. The result, we never know ... There's no point in asking, I would just get nervous, you know?"

When it finally came time for Rebeca Andrade and Simone Biles to do their floor routines at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the two remained incredibly supportive of each other. Andrade pulled off a fantastic floor routine — a fact that was not missed by Biles. Footage of the event on Instagram also showed the American clapping to Andrade's floor routine music and cheering on her rival.

This is not the first time that Biles has shown Andrade a world of public support. In 2023, Biles honored the Brazilian athlete after taking a defeat on the vault. Once it became clear that Andrade had earned the gold, Biles placed her hands over her head to mime removing a crown. She then proceeded to place the invisible crown on Andrade's head — celebrating an impressive win. These instances not only show Biles' incredible sportsmanship but also her sweet dedication to a friend.

The imaginary crowning was not the only time that Simone Biles showed her reverent support of Rebeca Andrade. When the Brazilian athlete earned the gold medal in the floor competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Biles took the concept of sportsmanship to a whole new level. On the podium, Biles –  who won silver — and her American teammate Jordan Chiles — who won bronze in her Olympic debut — uplifted Andrade by bowing to her.

"Jordan was like, 'Should we bow to her?' And I was like, 'absolutely' — it was just the right thing to do," Biles told reporters after the competition, according to ABC News. "She's so amazing. She's queen. She's such an excitement to watch — all the fans in the crowd always cheering for her."

Andrade was both touched and humbled by this show of support. "It was done with a lot of affection," she later told reporters (via Todo Dia Campinas). "I feel very honored. It is an honor to be at [Biles'] side."

Part of the reason that Jordan Chiles and Simone Biles bowed down to Rebeca Andrade is that all three women were thrilled with the symbolism of standing side-by-side on the Olympic podium. Historically, Black women have been limited in the sport of gymnastics — due to a lack of overall inclusiveness in the sport. In that sense, photographs of Andrade, Biles, and Chiles holding their gold, silver, and bronze medals represent a major sense of progress.

Speaking on this matter, Andrade told the press, "We can show the Black Power. I love myself, my skin color. But I'm also not focused on that. 'Rebeca' goes beyond her color – And the same goes for 'Jordan,' for 'Simone.' The idea is it serves as an incentive" (via People). Biles echoed these sentiments in an interview of her own. "It was an all-Black podium, so that was super exciting for us," she said.