One of the most highly-decorated female gymnasts in history, Rebeca Andrade, began making history for herself and her home country of Brazil in 2021 when she won two medals at the Tokyo Olympics despite battling three severe knee injuries over a four-year span.

Andrade is expected to continue to impress in Paris, as Brazil looks to earn its first team Olympic medal.

Here are some things to know about the gymnastic sensation ahead of Paris 2024. 

How old is Rebeca Andrade?

Rebeca Andrade is 25-years-old. She was born May 8, 1999.

Where is Rebeca Andrade from?

Rebeca Andrade was born in Guarulhos, Brazil.

Where does Rebeca Andrade live now?

Rebeca Andrade lives in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Does Rebeca Andrade have siblings?

Rebeca Andrade has seven brothers. Three of them — Yago, Henrique and Igor — also trained as gymnasts during their childhood.

How tall is Rebeca Andrade? 

Rebeca Andrade is 4-foot-9.

What do Rebeca Andrade’s parents do?

Rebeca Andrade was raised by a single mother, Rosa Santos, who worked as a maid.

What was Rebeca Andrade’s childhood like?

Rebeca Andrade began the sport at age 4, but with seven siblings and a single mother, her family didn’t have much money to help with her training. Her brothers often walked her to the gym when they couldn’t afford a bus pass — a trek that took over two hours. 

Rebeca’s mother also would sometimes walk to work, loaning Rebeca her bus pass to get to the gym more easily.

Where did Rebeca Andrade grow up?

Though she was born in Guarulhos, Brazil, at age 9, Rebeca Andrade moved away from her family to a high-performance training center in Curitiba. A year later, she moved to Rio de Janeiro. 

What’s Rebeca Andrade’s nickname?

After performing her individual floor exercise routine to a medley of Beyoncé songs at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, her fans in Brazil began to call her "Rebeyonce."

When was Rebeca Andrade on the cover of Vogue Brasil?

Rebeca Andrade appeared on the cover of Vogue Brasil in October 2021 after winning the Brasil Olimpico Award as the Best Sportswoman of the Year, as well as Best Gymnast of the Year, which she won again in 2022.  

What are some fun facts about Rebeca Andrade?

• Rebeca Andrade is one of 11 women gymnasts to medal in every event at the World Championships, and one of three in the 21st century
• With her silver medal in the all-around competition at the 2023 World Championships, Rebeca Andrade joined Simone Biles (gold) and Shilese Jones (bronze) in making up the first-ever all Black all-around podium at a world championships
• With a silver medal in the all-around at the Tokyo Olympics, Rebeca Andrade became the first Olympic medalist for Brazil in women’s gymnastics. Three days later, she won the first Olympic gold medal for Brazil in women’s gymnastics when she finished first in the vault event final. 
• Rebeca Andrade has worked with a sports psychologist since she was 13 years old in an attempt to manage the pressure that came with her success

How many Olympics has Rebeca Andrade been to?

Rebeca Andrade has competed in two previous Olympics: Rio and Tokyo. Paris will be her third.

How did Rebeca Andrade do at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics?

In the five years prior to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Rebeca Andrade had battled three ACL tears. Between that and several competitions being canceled due to COVID-19, her ability to perform well fell under question leading up to the Games.

Despite the odds, Andrade would go on to become the first Brazilian woman to win a medal at the Olympics, first earning silver in the individual all-around competition, then earning the country’s first gold medal in the women’s field in the vault final.

Then 22-years-old, she also became the oldest woman to win a medal in the sport since the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

What gold medals has Rebeca Andrade won at the World Championships?

Rebeca Andrade has won three gold medals at the World Championships —  one in vault in 2021, one in all-around in 2022 and another in vault in 2023.

She also won four silver and two bronze medals in those same years. She led Team Brazil to the silver medal in the team event in 2023, marking Brazil’s first world team medal in women’s artistic gymnastics.

What medals did Rebeca Andrade win at the 2023 Pan American Games?

Rebeca Andrade won four medals at the 2023 Pan American Games in Chile: gold in vault and balance beam and silver in team and uneven bars. 

Is Rebeca Andrade the most decorated Brazilian gymnast of all time?

With 22 total medals — two at the Olympics, nine at World Championships, four at the Pan American Games, and six at the Pan American Championships — Rebeca is the most decorated Brazilian gymnast of all time.

Will Rebeca Andrade be on the 2024 Olympics artistic gymnastics team?

Though Brazil has qualified for the team event in Paris, the athletes on the team have not been announced. However, Rebeca Andrade is expected to make the team as long as she remains healthy. 

What events has Rebeca Andrade won in 2024?

So far this year, Rebeca Andrade has four top-two performances. At the Antalya World Challenge Cup in March, she earned silver in uneven bars. Then, at the City of Jesolo Trophy in April, she won uneven bars, finished second in balance beam, and helped Brazil take second in the team event.

Where does Rebeca Andrade train?

Rebeca Andrade trains at the Flamengo Club, a multi-sport training facility in Rio de Janeiro.