The Stunning Transformation Of Olympic Gymnast Rebeca Andrade

The following article contains references to disordering eating.

Long live the reign of Rebeca Andrade! The Brazilian gymnast has skyrocketed to international fame after winning the gold medal in the floor routine final at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Although American gymnast superstar Simone Biles was expected to take home first place in every category, considering the fact that she is the most-decorated gymnast of all time, Andrade threw a wrench in those plans. 

Although Andrade's participation in the Paris Olympics introduced her to newer fans of gymnastics, especially in the U.S., she had been Brazil's golden girl long before she stuck the landing of her floor routine in 2024. Hers is a story defined by hard work, tenacity, and committing to one's craft even if it entails sacrifice.

From a low-income neighborhood in Brazil to the world's biggest athletic stage, Andrade's life story is one that can inspire millions. Whether you're something of a gymnast yourself or a bona fide couch potato, you'll be able to taking something away from Andrade's rise to fame.

Rebeca Andrade was born on May 8, 1999 in Guarulhos, Brazil. Her childhood was hectic, to say the least. Not only was the future superstar born into a family of eight children, but she was also born in the second most populated city in the metropolitan state of São Paulo. Think New York City of New York State — a city defined by traffic, noise, and the hustle and bustle of many residents. Andrade was born into poverty. She was raised by her single mother, Rosa Rodrigues, who worked as a domestic maid to make ends meet. 

Speaking with the Portuguese-language publication Quinto Andar, Andrade recalled that her first taste of gymnastics was hanging upside down from her siblings' bunk beds. In a fateful coincidence, Andrade's aunt was employed at a gymnasium when her young niece began showing an interest in tumbling. Her aunt took her along to gymnastics try-outs and after being accepted by the gym, Andrade had easy access to a mat, balance beam, and all those tools a future Olympian might need. Still, getting Andrade to and from her classes put an extra strain on the family's finances. At times, the gymnast couldn't afford to take the bus, and her brothers would walk her to the gym on foot or by bicycle instead.

One of the biggest rites of passages that many a young woman go through is moving away from home. Traditionally, this happens when a young girl moves away to college and starts a new life in the dorm rooms, or perhaps when she gets married and moves into a new home. For gymnast Rebeca Andrade, though, saying goodbye to her family came a lot sooner than expected. 

When Andrade began her gymnastics journey, she was training in her hometown of Guarulhos, with Mônica Barroso dos Anjos acting as her head coach. This went on for almost two years before Anjos placed her protégé in the most elite group at her gym. This meant that Andrade was now eligible to compete in competitions. The young girl's talent was evident to all who saw her tumble, and at 10 years old, the Brazilian wonder was then invited to the Paraná Center for Excellence in Gymnastics.

While this meant that Andrade was excelling in her craft, it also meant that she would have to leave Guarulhos and move to a new state, Paraná, all by herself. Looking back on this decision in 2021, Andrade told Forbes Brazil that she saw the move as a positive change at the time. "I saw it as a way to improve the lives of my entire family, so I did everything with a lot of love," the gymnast said (via NPR).

From braces to raging hormones to acne, there are many annoying things about being a teenage girl. For Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade, though, her life at 13 was perhaps too hectic to pay any mind to these frustrating initiation rituals of the teenage years. Who would have time to worry about crushes and face masks when you're about to make your debut on the international athletic stage? 

After working her way up through the ranks of her new gym in Paraná, Brazil, the tumbling wunderkind made it to the 2012 Junior Pan American Championships, meaning that Andrade would now be competing not only against other Brazilian gymnasts but also up-and-coming gymnasts from throughout the continent. That year, the championships were held in Medellín, Colombia, carrying Andrade further afield than the Brazil-born teen had ever been before.

Luckily, the trip wasn't for nothing. Even with the best of the best from Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Cuba, and more competing at the Pan American Championships, Andrade still left the arena with multiple medals around her neck. Competing in the junior division, Andrade won gold for individual all-around and floor exercise, and bronze for balance beam. Her efforts also pushed the overall Brazilian team to the second place podium, with her entire national team taking home silver medals. 

Right place, right time is the perfect maxim to describe Rebeca Andrade's participation in the 2016 Rio Olympics. It was a wild stroke of luck that saw the Brazilian-born gymnast ready to compete in her first ever Olympics the same year the Games were being held in her home country. At the time, Andrade was only 17 years old and was recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

Although passing the Olympic trials and making it to the Rio spotlight was an accomplishment on its own, Andrade's youth, inexperience, and recent injury all conspired against her, leading to an overall subpar performance. During the qualification rounds, Andrade helped her national team reach the team finals. The gymnast qualified for the solo all-around category, falling just behind Team USA superstars Simone Biles and Aly Raisman. However, when it came to the finals, Andrade and she was unable to deliver her best performance. During her floor exercise, Andrade failed to stick the landing and had points deducted due to her fall. This, along with other mistakes in her teammates' performance, caused Team Brazil to finish eighth overall, missing out on the medal podium. Andrade finished 11th in the individual all-around category, once again missing out on a gold, silver, or bronze medal. Despite her inability to wow the judges, Andrade did win over the crowd with her upbeat floor routine set to Beyoncé's "Single Ladies." 

There are no words that send greater chills down an athlete's spine than "serious" and "injury." For those who have dedicated their entire lives to an elite sport, a torn ligament or broken bone can spell the end to everything they have ever worked toward. Unfortunately, gymnast Rebeca Andrade had to stare down this potential future when she suffered three dire ACL injuries.

Her first injury occurred in 2015 when Andrade was forced to drop out of the World Championships due to a torn ACL.While she recovered in time to compete at the 2016 Rio Olympics, it wasn't long before this ligament gave her trouble again.

In 2017, Andrade had to withdraw from the World Championships in Montreal after a second ACL injury. Third time's a charm? Not for Andrade, who suffered the exact same injury for a third time in 2018 while competing at the Brazilian Nationals. However, thanks to multiple surgeries, Andrade was able to slip back into her leotard following that knee injury and has yet to suffer from a torn ACL. Andrade referenced her multiple injuries to Olympics.com, saying, "I've overcome a lot of things, and each time I overcame something tough, I was more determined to come back, I wanted to win even more." 

How many people can say they were truly the first at something? While it may be an exclusive club in today's modern world, gymnast Rebeca Andrade won her membership card in 2021 when she became the first female Brazilian gymnast to medal in the Games. Although the Summer Games had been postponed from 2020 to 2021 on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, her prolonged training schedule seemed to only help strengthen Andrade's skills and catapult her into the history books. 

In Tokyo that year, Andrade placed first in the vault event and second in the individual all-around category, taking home both a gold and silver medal. Photos from after the ceremonies shows the excited athlete striking various light-hearted poses with her two shiny awards. Leaving the Olympics at the top of her game, Andrade went on to continue her winning streak at the 2023 World Championships, taking home another gold medal, three silver medals, and a bronze.

There are many green brands that aren't as sustainable as you think (we're looking at you, Unilever and Nestlé). However, you can rest assured that any brand gymnast Rebeca Andrade partners with will prioritize the environment and sustainability. The reason? Brazil's golden girl has is an environmental activist who holds issues of sustainability near and dear to her heart. 

As part of her collaboration with Panasonic, Andrade participated in a Green Roundtable that invited multiple digital influences to come together to discuss environmentally friendly initiatives taking place across Brazil. Andrade, along with her counterparts, targeted Brazilian youth in their appeal to live a more green lifestyle. At the beginning of the roundtable, Andrade, said, "Many of you know me from my work as a gymnast, but I'm also an activist for sustainability." 

Speaking directly to her young audience, Andrade said, "We can get places by ourselves, but doing it as a team, with others, is so much better. Little by little, we can all get there and change the world." With this, it's clear that Andrade is not content to simply retire with her fortune; she is also committed to leaving the world a better place than how she found it. 

What happens to your body if you eat the same meals everyday? The answer might surprise you. Unfortunately for elite athletes, who often exist on a steady diet of salads and clear soups, the gut needs a variety of nutrients to thrive. While it's not uncommon to hear stories of Olympic level gymnasts suffering from disordered eating, it seems that Brazil's gymnastics superhero, Rebeca Andrade, has embraced a healthy love of food.

The gold medalist has admitted that she is a certified foodie. Before competing in one of her solo events, a journalist asked Andrade how she hypes herself up before dashing headlong into the beam, uneven bars, or vault competitions. Rather than singing the praises of her positive self-talk routine, Andrade admitted that her mind always drifts to food. She told NPR, "I was thinking about the recipes that I will make when I get back to Brazil." Shouting out some of her favorite dishes from back home, the São Paulo native went on to say that her mind was fixated on dishes that included "potatoes and cheese, chicken. There's cake. There's cookies. A lot of things." 

If you need help with an eating disorder, or know someone who does, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).

Brazilians have fallen in love with gymnast Rebeca Andrade for many reasons. Not only did she make history at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, bringing home Brazil's first ever medal in women's gymnastics, but she also represents a rags-to-riches story at a time when Brazilians need heroes more than ever. With 550,000 deaths having been attributed to COVID-19 in the South American country by 2021, it's perhaps no surprise that many Brazilians turned to Andrade as a beacon of hope.

As a young Black woman who (quite literally) cartwheeled her way out of the impoverished neighborhood, termed a favela, she called home, Andrade has come to represent what can happen when you don't give up on yourself and persevere despite hardship. 

Her fame has transcended sports. During her floor performance at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Andrade danced to a song called "Baile De Favela," a tune with close ties to Afro-Brazilian and favela culture, as NPR reported. With this move, Andrade winked to the viewers at home, subtly signaling that she is aware of her icon status and is rooting for all the little girls back home who look and live like she did growing up. 

Gymnast Rebeca Andrade had long been dominating the game in her home country of Brazil, and she has become something of a national sweetheart. Speaking with NPR, journalist Philip Reeves summed up Andrade's popularity by admitting that the Brazilian people are "hungry for heroes. And Rebeca is certainly satisfying that need." 

In light of the Paris 2024 Olympics, the gymnast extraordinaire is getting even more coverage, except this time American media is beginning to pay attention too. While Andrade missed out on a gold medal in the all-around category at the Paris Games, losing to her friendly rival Simone Biles, she had her crowning moment when it came to the floor final. 

Andrade's routine won her first place, with Biles not too far behind, taking second. Biles' fellow Team USA gymnast, Jordan Chiles, came in third, laying claim to the bronze medal. There was no bad blood in sight on that medal podium, though, as the two American gymnasts chose to honor Andrade's hard work in the sweetest way — by bowing to her like the queen she is. The moment was made extra special by the fact that Andrade, Biles, and Chiles made up the first all-black podium in Olympic gymnastics history. Andrade's response? "It was very cute of them," she said (via BBC). "They are the world's best athletes and what they did means a lot to me. We're always rooting for each other, the final is very difficult for everyone."