Rebeca Andrade shares emotional retirement letter she wrote before Paris Olympics - "Because of a proposal, I was called ungrateful and selfish"

Brazilian artistic gymnast Rebeca Andrade recently shared a farewell letter which she wrote before the 2024 Paris Olympics. Andrade had a remarkable Olympic campaign as she returned home with an impressive four medals.

These medal-winning performances included a gold in the women’s floor exercise, two silver in the individual all-around and vault, and a bronze in the team event.

Following her successful Olympic campaign, Andrade shared on her Instagram handle what she wrote in the month of March 2024, way before the Olympic Games. In the letter, she reflected on the range of emotions she felt, including sadness, gratitude, and pride, throughout the Olympic cycle.

Rebeca Andrade also believed that this was going to be her last Olympic cycle. The letter, according to her Instagram post, read (translated into English):

“Because of a phrase, they said that success went to my head. Because of a proposal, I was called ungrateful and selfish. Because of a word taken out of context in an interview, they made fun of me and said that I was in the wrong country, and these things hurt me, especially because I know that I am not like that, and people looked at me from the wrong angle. But that's okay, the world is like that, I do a lot and I think about everyone, but sometimes I need to think about myself, and it's not that wrong!"

“Because of a hug, I didn't give up. Because of a conversation, I evolved. Because of care, I persisted, ” she also wrote.

Rebeca Andrade further expressed pride in herself after overcoming her inner negative thoughts.

“I conquered my barriers, I conquered my negative thoughts, I conquered my bad days.. and everyday i continue to conquer something inside me! I am proud to be who I am, without hiding where I came from.”

Additionally, she showed pride in her family for always giving their best and her own accomplishments which she has achieved in her career. It is worth noting that Andrade isn't considering to retire from the sport now and plans to continue her career.

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A brief look at Rebeca Andrade’s achievements beyond the Paris Olympics

Rebeca Andrade at Paris Olympics (Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images)

In addition to her four medals in Paris, Rebeca Andrade had previously won two Olympic medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In Tokyo, she made history as the first Brazilian female gymnast to win a gold in gymnastics after winning the prestigious medal in the women’s vault just days after earning silver in the individual all-around.

Besides this, she has won three gold, four silver, and two bronze medals at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships. Andrade is also a four-time Pan American Championships gold medalist, and two-time Pan American Games champion.