Reigning world and Olympic vaulting champion Rebeca Andrade of Brazil says she hopes she and competitor Simone Biles of the United States will be in top form when the Olympic Games Paris 2024 roll around in less than 80 days’ time.
“It’s about doing my best, and I hope [Biles] does, too, that she does her best because it’s an honour to be able to compete alongside her,” Andrade said, according to the AFP.
The women’s competition in artistic gymnastics is likely to be all about the duo, who finished 1-2 in the all-around at last year’s World Championships and shared the vault, balance beam and floor exercise podiums as Biles grabbed gold in all but the vault.
In the all-around, the duo was joined by American Shilese Jones, who also finished runner-up to Andrade in 2022. Together, Biles, Andrade, and Jones represented the first time three Black women had landed on the World all-around podium.
“Representation, right?” Andrade said. “We are seeing a lot more black athletes and being able to represent and encourage so many children and young people who previously thought they couldn’t dream but today can not only dream but can believe that it is possible.”
