At 25, six-time Olympic medalist Rebeca Andrade is possibly the only gymnast who consistently keeps Simone Biles on her toes. As Brazil’s most decorated gymnast, she’s truly the counterpart of the world’s most decorated gymnast. However, her historic success wouldn’t have been possible without the sacrifices her mother and siblings made.

Born in a favela on the outskirts of Sau Paulo City, Rebeca Andrade was one of eight children born to her mother, Rosa Rodrigues. “Mom would borrow money so we’d have food… All the clothes I had came from people I knew,” Andrade recounted to CGTN America in the past. As a single mother, Rodrigues struggled to make ends meet but didn’t overlook her daughter’s incredible gymnastics talent.

Despite the family of nine being in dire straits, Andrade’s mother and her siblings did everything they could to support the prodigy. In an interview with Canal GB on August 9, Rebeca Andrade recounted how often she wouldn’t have money to take the bus to her gym in Sao Paulo. “My mother would give her a ticket to go to work so that my brother and I could go,” the Olympian confessed to host Galvão Bueno.

She revealed that her mother worked as a maid and traveled frequently. Yet, Rodrigues continued to bear the added burden until physical exhaustion set in. “After a few months she started to feel that she was getting very tired,” added the 2x Olympic gold medalist. That’s when her mother finally asked for the bus pass, and the family decided that Rebeca Andrade would walk to the gym.

Although the world champion gymnast was just a child discovering the sport, her love for gymnastics prevailed. However, when Rodrigues reached the end of her exhaustion, Andrade’s siblings stepped up. Brazil’s most decorated Olympic gymnast’s brothers didn’t let her walk to the gym alone. Despite not training in the sport, they accompanied their sister, and that’s not the only thing they did.

How Rebeca Andrade’s coach came to the family’s rescue

The nine-time world championship medalist’s siblings ensured she would find time for the important things. “My older brothers always took great care of the younger ones, they always tried to help my mother as much as possible,” the 25-year-old told the host. Besides helping their mother raise their younger siblings, her brothers also ensured household chores wouldn’t distract Andrade’s training.

Yet, despite all their sacrifices, the cost of progressing and competing in the sport became too much to bear. That’s when her coach, Keli Kitaura, came to the rescue. Realizing Rebeca Andrade’s potential, Kitaura took in Andrade when she was 10, and she visited her family during the weekends. However, even reaching her then-coach would’ve been impossible without her mother’s selfless sacrifices.

“I don’t think any of these medals here are mine alone. There are many hands here and I feel proud of all these people.” Andrade once told Fatima Bernardes. Now we know why the Brazilian icon is so humble despite scripting history for her nation in gymnastics.

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