"It was worth every pain"- Rebeca Andrade makes feelings known with emotional note as she reflects on Olympic gold medal and moment with Simone Biles

Olympic gymnast Rebeca Andrade penned a note reflecting on her 2024 season. The 25-year-old Brazilian gymnast also shared some great moments with arch-rival and gymnastics sensation Simone Biles through a post shared on the former's social media handle this week.

Andrade took to Instagram on December 28 to share a long and emotional post, reflecting on her career. She wrote,

"Few days left and the year so many things have happened... sometimes our purpose is balanced in the midst of difficulties and uncertainties. But we always get stronger when we feel that we are with the right people and on the right path, I say feel, because we don't always know if it's right, but we believe in it! It was worth every pain, every tear, sweat, loss (in results).. worth every smile, joy, discovery... The whole walk to get here!"

Andrade had some of the most special moments from the Paris Olympics, which included the bow down from Biles and her compatriot Jordan Chiles, who had initially won the silver and the bronze medals respectively in the floor exercise event. The Brazilian gymnast also talked about her passion for the sport of gymnastics, and why she is not going anywhere for now. Andrade further added,

"Gymnastics is my calling, my purpose and my certainty! I sure will be here as long as I last lol..THANK YOU FOR VIBING FOR ME and may our anthem touch more and more in this world!"

Rebeca Andrade won four medals at the Paris Olympics. Though the Brazilian was edged out by Simone Biles in the individual all-around and the vault, she managed to outpace her in the floor exercise event.

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Rebeca Andrade's performances in the 2024 season

Rebeca Andrade at the floor exercise finals for the Paris Olympics 2024 [Image Source: Getty]

After winning five medals [including one gold] at the 2023 World Championships in Antwerp, Rebeca Andrade was all set to make it count in 2024. The 25-year-old began on a promising note, finishing second in the uneven bars event at the Antalya World Challenge Cup.

At the Paris Olympics, Andrade contributed to the bronze medal-winning performance for Team Brazil in the women's team all-around event. This was also Brazil's first-ever Olympic medal in this discipline.

Andrade then proceeded to win two silver medals in the individual all-around and the vault event. She was edged out by Simone Biles, who won gold medals in the team all-around, the individual all-around and the vault events respectively. Interestingly, Biles had outpaced Andrade in the floor exercise event as well.

However, in the finals, despite a solid performance in the difficulty stage, Biles faltered in terms of execution, for which she was penalized 0.600 points. Andrade edged her out with a score of 14.166, winning her second Olympic gold medal overall. She had previously won a gold medal in the vault event at the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021.

With a total of six Olympic medals, Rebeca Andrade is now the most decorated Brazilian gymnast of all time. Previously, this record was held by sailors Robert Scheidt and Torben Grael, who had five Olympic medals each to their credit.