Is Rebeca Andrade a threat to Simone Biles' gold ambition at Paris Olympics 2024? Exploring the Brazilian's recent form

Simone Biles has dominated the American gymnastics circuit with impressive performances at the 2024 season at the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials, the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, and the Core Hydration Classic, placing first in the women’s all-around in all the competitions. As a result, she also secured her berth for the Paris Olympics which would be her third appearance at the Summer Games.

As she heads to the Paris Olympics, Biles will not only face strong challenges from the American gymnasts but also from international ones who will be vying for podium finishes at the quadrennial games. One such top competitor will be Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade.

Andrade has established herself as one of the standout gymnasts in the world over the recent years, owing to her remarkable medal-winning performances at the Olympics and Artistic Gymnastics World Championships. However, based on recent performances, Biles holds the advantage over the Brazilian superstar.

Rebeca Andrade opened her 2024 season campaign at the FIG World Challenge Cup in Antalya, Turkey, where she only competed in the uneven bars and finished second with 14.067 points.

She then featured in her final tournament before the Olympic Games at the Brazil Trophy (Trofeu Brasil) in June 2024. There, the nine-time World Championships medalist topped both uneven bars and balance beam with 13,633 and 14,633 points, respectively.

A look into Simone Biles and Rebeca Andrade’s performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Simone Biles during Women's Qualification at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Simone Biles entered the Tokyo Olympics as a favorite in multiple events, including women’s all-around, having previously collected five medals - four gold and one bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

However, she faced a setback after experiencing ‘Twisties’ while performing in the competition which led her to pull out of multiple events at the Tokyo Olympics. She concluded her campaign at the Tokyo Olympics with a silver in the women’s team and a bronze in the balance beam event.

On the other hand, Rebeca Andrade had a sensational outing at the Tokyo Olympics where she became the first Brazilian women’s gymnast to win a medal in the history of the Summer Olympics.

She did so by accomplishing a silver medal in the women’s all-around with overall 57.298 points. A few days later, Andrade added another medal to her bag by winning a gold in the women’s vault, scoring 15.083.