PARIS, FRANCE – AUGUST 01: Rebeca Andrade of Team Brazil reacts after finishing her routine on the balance beam during the Artistic Gymnastics Women’s All-Around Final on day six of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena on August 01, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Rebeca Andrade is officially back. The six-time Olympic medalist returned to competitive gymnastics this week in Rio de Janeiro, performing at the same arena where she made her 2016 Olympic debut.
This time around, Andrade represented the Brazilian gymnastics team at the 2026 Pan American Championships, marking the start of her Olympic comeback in her home country. Though she only competed on vault in Rio, Andrade’s impact was indelible for Team Brazil and its local supporters.
Andrade Leads Brazil in Rio de Janeiro
On Wednesday, Andrade helped Brazil to silver in the women’s team competition, where she posted the highest scores of the day on vault – the event where she won her first Olympic gold medal.
Andrade’s result was crucial in Brazil’s finish, helping the team qualify for the upcoming world championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
On Sunday morning, Andrade struck gold again, this time in the individual vault final. The raucous crowd buzzed, performing an anticipatory wave before Andrade saluted the judges. With her six Olympic medals, two gold, Andrade is already the most decorated Brazilian Olympic athlete of all time and a Brazilian celebrity.
Needing a combined score of 14.250 to pass Canada’s Lia Monica Fontaine – the 2025 World vault silver medalist – Andrade performed her first vault to a roar from the crowd. Andrade landed her double-twisting Yurchenko vault cleanly with a small step, earning a massive score from the judges.
While the gold seemed all-but hers, Andrade came up short on her second vault, a comparatively simple Lopez vault, piking down and stepping over the line to incur a neutral deduction. Despite the clear errors, the judges awarded Andrade a combined total of 14.266, narrowly edging out the Canadian challenger by .017.
American Claire Pease, the newly crowned Pan American All-Around Champion, joined Andrade and Fontaine on the podium with vault bronze.
The win gives Andrade her fifth Pan American title and first on vault, joining her previous wins in the all-around, team event, and uneven bars. It’s also the first gold medal for Brazil at this week’s championships.
Though fans are anxious to see Andrade return to more events, her job in Rio is done. With a gold and silver in hand and Brazil’s world championship qualification secured, the 27-year-old’s role in Brazilian gymnastics success only continues to grow. Now, fans set their sights on Rotterdam.