“She’s way too close. I’ve never had an athlete that close,” Simone Biles herself had put the stamp on Rebeca Andrade as her biggest rival after her gold in the Olympic all-around final. And why not? It was Rebeca who snubbed Simone for gold in the 2023 World Championships in Belgium. Come to the Paris Olympics 2024, the picture could have been repeated once again!
the all-around final, a rare slip-up by Biles on the uneven bars opened the door for Andrade, who seized the moment and led the competition until the very last routine. Just when it seemed like Biles’ golden dream was slipping away, she delivered a flawless floor routine, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat and clinching the gold medal. But Rebeca had to do justice to the words Simone said about her!
And she did that on the floor final, making Simone settle for the silver, adding one more page to the nail-biting rivalry. But Larissa Salgado, president of Brazil’s gymnastics federation (FGERJ), had a different perspective on it which she had spelled out before the arch-rivals faced each other in the Olympic floor final. That might give us an understanding of why Rebeca is Simone’s toughest competitor.
