The 2024 Paris Olympics witnessed an iconic moment as Brazilian gymnast Rebecca Andrade stood on the top of the podium. She had a gold medal around her neck, with American stars Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles bowing down to her. This powerful image celebrated Andrade’s victory in the floor exercise, marking her first international title in this event.
Before winning gold, Andrade had already led Brazil to its first-ever team medal in artistic gymnastics, a bronze, and secured silver in both the individual all-around and vault competitions. In the lead-up to her golden performance, Andrade reflected on her growing legacy.
“My dreams are being achieved and I’m getting giant, right? ” she remarked in a moment of pride. “It’s really cool to see what we’re getting“.
The 25-year-old from Sao Paulo then went on to draw a comparison between herself and one of Brazil’s greatest sporting icons, former Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna. Andrade said:
“Being able to represent and have a pride, being a reference is something that I will take forever with me. As we see Senna, as we see several sportsmen that we think like this, ‘Damn, he was giant. Look how he inspires me, look how he spoke, look how he did, look how he is.'”
[ge no X] Rebeca Andrade spoke about the feeling of “getting giant” and explained her admiration for Ayrton Senna!
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The mention of Senna is significant in the Brazilian context. Senna, a three-time Formula 1 World Champion, is considered a national hero in Brazil. His skill on the racetrack, coupled with his achievements have made him a symbol of excellence and determination.
Rebecca’s gold medal in the floor exercise has made her Brazil’s most decorated Olympian across all sports. Speaking of Rebecca’s achievement, Biles said, “Rebecca, she’s so amazing, she’s queen. It was an all Black podium, so that was super exciting for us.”
With two more events ahead – the beam and floor exercise – Andrade has the chance to further her legacy and leave a big impact on the future generations of Olympians to come from Brazil.
