PARIS, FRANCE – AUGUST 05: Rebeca Andrade of Brazil competes during Women’s Floor Exercise Final of the Artistic Gymnastics on Bercy Arena during the Paris 2024 Olympics Games on August 5, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo By Manu Reino/Europa Press via Getty Images)
Europa Press via Getty Images
One of women’s gymnastics’ all-time greats is returning to the competitive stage. Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade begins her Olympic comeback this week at the 2026 Pan American Gymnastics Championships.
The event attracts the strongest gymnasts from North, Central, and South America, often producing medal battles between the United States, Canada, and the rising powerhouse Brazil. 2024 Olympic team gold medalist Hezly Rivera will lead Team USA’s women’s delegation this week in Rio.
Held from June 17–21 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the major international competition holds particular significance for Andrade. The Olympic champion will compete her first competitive routines since the 2024 Olympic Games in front of a home crowd.
Andrade’s Rise to Dominance and Fame
Since making her 2016 Olympic debut in the same Rio de Janeiro arena, Andrade has risen through the gymnastics ranks and solidified her status as a household name. The 27-year-old has shattered records for her federation, becoming a six-time Olympic medalist and two-time Olympic gold medalist.
When Andrade won her first Olympic medal in Tokyo – a silver behind Suni Lee – she became the first Brazilian women’s gymnast to win a medal of any color. Days later, she became the first Olympic gold medalist for Brazilian gymnastics. However, her Tokyo successes were just the beginning for São Paulo’s superstar.
From 2020 onward, Andrade collected nine World Championship medals, including three gold and the 2022 World all-around title. With the all-around win, she became the first Latin American gymnast to reach the pinnacle of the sport.
At the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Andrade went head-to-head with American great Simone Biles, winning silver behind the latter on vault and in the all-around, but claiming another historic gold on the floor exercise.
Though she has earned numerous individual accolades, Andrade also led Brazil to historic team successes. In 2023, she led the squad to team silver behind only the United States, marking the team’s first World Championship medal in the nation’s history. One year later in Paris, she helped Brazil to Olympic bronze – the nation’s first Olympic team medal.
With her growing international success, Andrade’s fame continued to skyrocket, opening doors to professional ventures beyond the balance beam.
Andrade currently has over 13 million followers across Instagram and TikTok. From serving as an Olympic flag bearer in Milan-Cortina to gracing the cover of Brazilian Vogue, Andrade has done it all – but now she eyes a return to the mat.
“I still have a little more to show,” she told Olympics.com in May. While Andrade is expected to compete only one or two events this week in Rio, her return will thrill gymnastics fans worldwide – especially those native to her home country.
Though the Pan American Championships will see the start of her comeback, Andrade has her immediate sights set on the 2026 World Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands, this October. And, in two years’ time – her fourth Olympic Games.
Andrade’s long-term plans aside, the comeback countdown begins for one of gymnastics’ all-time greats.