Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade made history by becoming the first Brazilian woman to win four Olympic medals, clinching a silver medal in the individual all-around event at the Paris Olympics. The 25-year-old has overcome significant adversity and endured three ACL injuries in four years.

“I’ve worked so hard to achieve this,” Andrade said while speaking with media after the event. “It’s just unbelievable. I had so much fun; every single moment has been sensational.”

Andrade's performance in the all-around final was a close contest with American superstar Simone Biles. Despite a tense competition, Biles' extraordinary floor routine in the last rotation secured her the gold, giving Andrade a hard-fought silver. Andrade's consistency across all four apparatuses was proof of her skill, as she finished just 1.199 points behind Biles.

Throughout the competition, Andrade displayed versatility in her skills — traits that have drawn comparisons to Biles. Both gymnasts thrive in vault and floor routines which makes them strong competitors. Andrade gushed past Biles midway in the finals after Biles' mistake on the uneven bars. However, Biles' unmatched performances on the beam and floor turned the tide.

“Simone is the best, and she brings out the best of me,” Andrade told the media.

Andrade's silver in Paris adds to her previous Olympic successes, including a silver in the individual all-around and a gold in the vault competition at the Tokyo 2021 Games. Her journey to this point has come with challenges, including three ACL tears that threatened her career. The delay of the Tokyo Games due to the COVID-19 pandemic provided Andrade with the time needed to recover fully.

"Doing the all-around, to me, demands a lot from my body, my lower limbs, legs, and knees," she told the media. But I said that the future belongs to God: What if something comes up in my head or my body gets better? I don’t know. "But I have worked this out in my head, and I wanted tonight to be a very special competition because, to me, that was my last all-around."

In addition to her Olympic achievements, Andrade has won nine medals at world championships, including three golds. Her rivalry and camaraderie with Biles have been a highlight of recent competitions. In Antwerp, Andrade denied Biles the vault title, and Biles, in a display of mutual respect, humorously crowned Andrade as a champion.

"Knowing that I gave Simone a bit of work is cool, right?" she told Olympics.com. "She’s the best in the world, Simone is a phenomenon. We didn’t see it just here, but also in many competitions that she has done. I’m so proud of being able to compete by her side."

Read Also: Ankita Bhakat and Dhiraj Bommadevara miss medal by a whisker but script history for Indian archery in Paris