Rebeca Andrade gives verdict on Simone Biles rivalry as she reflects on mindset at Paris Olympics

By Abhiruchi Rout

Modified Feb 22, 2025 16:54 GMT

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Rebeca Andrade expressed her thoughts on her rivalry with Simone Biles and her mindset during the 2024 Paris Olympics. While Biles is known to be one of the greatest gymnasts of all time, Andrade is the most decorated Brazilian gymnast.

In an interview with BBC World Service, Andrade reflected on competing alongside Biles, saying that while she knew that she had to defeat the USA gymnast to become the Olympic champion, her focus was to deliver her best performance.

“Everyone wants to be an Olympic champion, right? That's the starting point. But I don't know if that was the goal, to beat Simone. For me, to be champion I would have to do it, but in my head, it didn't work that way. I had to do my part, I had to do my best and make sure at the end of the competition that I couldn't have done anything different. That's how I arrived to compete every day, you know? Thank God, it worked out,” Rebeca Andrade said (translated to English).

She opened up on her performance in the floor exercise, adding:

“We went to the floor and I did the best I could that day. It wasn't my best series but it was my best of that day.”

The two-time world vault champion also spoke about her surprised reaction upon learning that she had won the gold in the floor exercise event.

“When the results came, when everything had been decided, I couldn't believe it. I asked Iryna Ilyashenko [coach] and my doctor, ‘Guys, are you sure? Up until the moment I went up and waved the flag, it took a few minutes because I really wanted to be sure…In some videos, you will notice that I put my hands on my head and look like, ‘Oh, my!’ I really couldn't believe it. It was a very special moment,” Andrade added.

In the floor exercise, Rebeca Andrade delivered a remarkable performance to win her second Olympic gold, scoring 14.166 points, edging out Simone Biles, who scored 14.133.

Simone Biles playfully admits feeling ‘uncomfortable’ competing with Rebeca Andrade after Paris Olympics all-around victory

Simone Biles and Rebeca Andrade at the Paris Olympics (Photo: Getty Images)

After winning the women’s all-around title at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Simone Biles reflected on how challenging it was to compete against Rebeca Andrade playfully. She admitted that the Brazilian gymnast is the closest rival she ever had while also acknowledging her pride in competing with her. Via NBC, she stated:

“I don't want to compete with Rebecca no more. I'm tired. She's way too close. I've never had an athlete that close. So, it definitely put me on my toes and it brought out the best athlete in myself. So, I'm excited and proud to compete with her but I don't like it no more.”

Biles jokingly added:

“I'm getting uncomfortable, guys.”

The 23-time world champion admitted she realized mid-competition that winning the all-around would be tough with Andrade close behind, which resulted in her performing the more difficult double pike instead of her original plan.