"It would be difficult to win with Simone Biles getting two vaults right" -Rebecca Andrade on why she didn't try Triple Twisting Yurchenko at Olympics

Rebecca Andrade teased the Triple Twisting Yurchenko at the start of the year after she was spotted practicing the vault during the training. She submitted the skill at the Paris Olympics in a bid to get it named after her but didn't perform it during the competition, now claiming that she didn't find it enough to win against Simone Biles.

Andrade and Biles are arguably two of the best gymnasts in the world, having competed against each other since the 2016 Rio Olympics. Both the gymnasts have improved massively over the years, more so Andrade, who registered her first convincing victory against the American at the Paris Olympics.

While Biles has five skills named after her, Andrade submitted a first at the Paris Olympics, a Triple Twisting Yurchenko, which has a difficulty value above 6. Biles does the Yurchenko Double Pike, the vault with a difficulty score of 6.4. The American performed the same during the Olympics, implying that even if Andrade had presented her skill, it would still not have been enough for her to beat Biles.

Speaking in an interview with a local television show, the Olympic champion said:

"I really want to do the TTY. It's not like: "Oh I want to put my name in the code". That's not it. But I really want to do this vault, because I trained, I saw that I have the ability and it was good. It's not something that leaves me in doubt. I think if I train more I will definitely get more confident and then I will present it. But we also felt that now in the Olympics it wasn't needed, because it would be really difficult to win with Simone getting her two vaults right, even if I did the triple. But, who knows, right? Maybe in the near future I'll do it."

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While Andrade settled for silver in the vault and all-around finals behind Simone Biles, she defeated the American in the floor finals. The Brazilian won the gold while Biles settled for silver after a shaky routine. Romania’s Ana Barbuso won the bronze medal.

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Simone Biles and Rebecca Andrade are more friends than rivals

Artistic Gymnastics - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 10 - Source: Getty

Simone Biles and Rebecca Andrade have been competing against each other for nearly a decade now. More than the rivalry, the two have built a friendship with each other.

Speaking in an interview with CNN Esportes, Andrade claimed that being able to compete alongside Biles meant a lot to her and that they both wanted the best for each other.

“…As we are talking here about her and me…[we] encouraged each other, cheered for each other [we] both wanted to win but that didn’t stop us from wanting the best from each other. I think that’s the most beautiful thing," she said.

Both Simone Biles and Rebecca Andrade left Paris Olympics 2024 with four medals. While the American’s collection comprised three gold and one silver medal, the Brazilian took home one gold, two silver, and one bronze medal.