“She got to know me, peeled me apart” - Rebeca Andrade credits Brazilian Olympic team's mental coordinator for supporting her mental health journey

Rebeca Andrade opened up about the contribution of the Brazilian Olympic team's mental coordinator, Aline Wolff, in enhancing her mental journey.

Wolff has been the mental preparation coordinator of the Brazilian Olympic Committee since 2013. She has also worked as a sports psychologist for several other organizations such as the Brazilian Rowing Confederation, Flamengo Regatta Club, and the Trevo Institute Social Technology.

Notably, Wolff has also helped out Andrade during her three ACL injuries in 2015, 2017, and 2019. In a recent interview with Claudia, Andrade stated that she and Wolff have a trustable relationship with each other. The Brazilian gymnast also mentioned that she is very comfortable opening up about her mental health issues to Wolff.

She said:

"She got to know me, peeled me apart. Little by little I created trust, opening up to her. I realized that I could say anything, that she wouldn't tell anyone. And not only because of the ethical issue of the profession, but because she saw another human being there."

During the interview, Andrade also shared that she received immense support from a lot of other people around her during her injuries.

Rebeca Andrade opens up about her major focus for the upcoming years of her career

Andrade competing for the Brazilian national team during the all-around apparatus on the sixth day of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (Image via: Getty Images)

Rebeca Andrade recently shed light on her main focus for the upcoming years of her career.

In an interview, Andrade stated that she wants to be happy and fit at this point in her career. She also added that keeping a proper frame of mind and a healthy body will help her to start training for her upcoming gymnastics endeavors.

She said (via Globo):

"I think being happy and healthy is my main focus. I need to take care of my mind and my body too so that I can return to training in the safest way possible, without risks, so that will be the main thing, not only for next year, but for all the years to come."

Rebeca Andrade has been one of the most decorated Brazilian gymnasts in recent years. The Sao Paulo native has bagged seven Olympics (including two gold) and nine World Championship (three gold) medals so far in her elite gymnastics career.

In 2024, Andrade was also included on BBC's Top 100 Women list for her impressive campaign at the Paris Olympics where she bagged four medals for Brazil.