Simone Biles touched down in Antwerp on 30th September, ready to reclaim the world gymnastics stage. She made a stunning entrance to the Sportpaleis on the very first day of podium training at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. After making a comeback with back-to-back victories at the national competition in her homeland, Biles led the charge during the qualifiers.
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In an epic battle, she spearheaded Team USA to secure their seventh consecutive World Gymnastics Championship title. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, Biles also claimed her sixth World Championship All-Around title.
On the last day of the competition, October 8th, she added two more gold medals to her collection, excelling in the floor exercise and balance beam finals. Even after facing a heartbreaking fall, she secured a silver medal at the vault finals. Biles proved to be a formidable force, but among the contenders, one athlete kept her on her toes. And most recently, Biles opened up, sharing her unfiltered thoughts about her formidable contender and legend to be.
Simone Biles addresses her major competition
After lifting another victory in Antwerp, Biles opened up about her competitor and the rising legend in an interview. When asked about having Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade as competition, Biles responded, “No definitely, even on floor I was “Ooh I’m a little nervous” or on beam and stuff like that. They’re amazing athletes so you can only wish that everybody puts the best foot forward that day. So yeah, I love having her.”
Rebeca Andrade, along with her coach Francisco Porath, has been cautious in the years following her third ACL tear. Despite multiple ACL tears in 2015, 2017, and 2019, she persevered in the sport. In 2022, she only performed on-the-floor exercise twice before the World Championships, and even then, she chose routines with lower difficulty and won the All-Around title and the Vault finals. At the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, Rebeca Andrade kept Biles on her toes.
Biles passes the torch to Rebeca Andrade
The 24-year-old Brazilian gymnast emerged as Biles’ most formidable competitor. In the vault finals, Andrade broke Biles’ winning streak for 2023 by taking the gold with a score of 14.75, while Biles, despite a heartbreaking fall, secured the silver with a score of 14.549. Throughout the competition, Andrade consistently finished just behind Simone Biles, winning silver in the team all-around finals, individual all-around finals, floor exercise finals, and bronze on the balance beam.
Biles took home the gold in all these events. On the last day, while standing on the podium with Rebeca Andrade and her teammate Flavia Saraiva, after winning the floor routine, Biles made a symbolic gesture. She removed her crown and placed it on Rebeca’s head, signifying that she was passing the torch to the Brazilian as the “upcoming queen.
