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"Simone Biles is a phenomenon"- Rebeca Andrade opens up on competing against the American at the Paris Olympics
Brazilian gymnast and two-time all-around silver medalist Rebeca Andrade patted herself on the back for giving Simone Biles a tough fight in her charge for her second gold in the Paris Olympics. Andrade was initially in the lead after a shaky start from Biles, but the American gymnast kept her cool on the beam before flying high on the floor to clinch her sixth Olympic gold.
The American finished with a total of 59.131, 1.199 points ahead of second-placed Rebeca Andrade. Speaking via Olympics.com, Andrade remarked on her closely contested event with arguably one of the greatest gymnasts to ever grace the mat.
"Knowing that I gave Simone (Biles) a bit of work is cool, right?" Andrade said.
Andrade also opened up about the physical toll from the all-around event and mentioned the strain on her lower limbs, especially her knees. In light of the stress and rigor that gymnastics requires, Biles' feat of nine Olympic medals seems even more impressive.
Heaping praise on her American rival, Andrade added,
"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."
Simone Biles won her second all-around gold in Paris while Andrade came second
An electrifying performance following an early error from Simone Biles in the individual all-around event at Paris 2024 proved enough for her to win yet another gold at the Paris Olympics.
The victory will have been a personal milestone for Simone Biles after having pulled out of all individual events (barring the balance beam) in Tokyo 2020 to prioritize her mental health.
The American will undoubtedly cherish this triumph and will hold it close to her heart. Biles remarked on her journey and the support she received since the 2020 Olympics. She said (via the aforementioned source):
“I never thought I'd step foot on the gymnastics floor again just because of everything that had happened,” Biles said.
“But with the help of [coaches] Cecile and Laurent Landi, I got back in the gym and worked really hard, mentally and physically," she added.
Biles started strong with a mammoth score of 15.766 on the vault. However, an uncharacteristic error as she nearly fell off while flipping from the high to low on the uneven bars saw her trail Andrade by .267 with a score of 13.733. However, the 27-year-old recovered strong and held firm on the beam to go into the floor exercise with a slender .166 lead.
The eventual champion acknowledged the prowess of her Brazilian competitor and heaped plaudits on her.
“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. I'm excited and proud to compete with her," Biles said.
This victory marks Biles' sixth Olympic gold medal (two in the individual all-around, two in the team all-around, one each in vault and floor exercise) along with a silver in the team event in 2020 Tokyo and one bronze medal each in the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
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