Brazil's Olympic champion Andrade inspires girls at her hometown gym where career began

GUARULHOS, Brazil -- As she practiced her complex moves and somersaults, aspiring gymnast 14-year-old Manuela Kriegel kept gazing at one of the walls of the Bonifácio Cardoso gym outside the Brazilian metropolis of Sao Paulo.

It featured a painting of a national hero — Olympic champion and hometown favorite Rebeca Andrade — with two medals, a gold and a silver, that Andrade won at the Tokyo Games three years ago.

“This is outdated now,” Kriegel told The Associated Press on Tuesday after she finished her warm-up routines.

Outdated indeed. The 25-year-old Andrade won four more medals at the Paris Olympics, including gold in the floor exercise with a narrow victory over star U.S. gymnast Simone Biles. The Guarulhos native has become the most decorated Olympian in the history of the South American nation, with six medals.

Dozens of girls lined up with their parents in the early hours of Tuesday at the public gymnasium where Andrade started her career 15 years ago. Some of those hopeful athletes in Guarulhos train there every day.

Andrade's early life in Guarulhos has inspired locals who copy her audacious moves and also those who love her resilience — she used to walk about one hour to get to the gym and had three ACL surgeries in her career.

Andrade left Guarulhos for Brazil's national team in 2010, moved to Rio de Janeiro shortly after and then started her rise in the sport.

Kriegel, who took up the sport in 2019, wanted to give it up during the pandemic. But then Andrade's performances in Tokyo — a gold medal in the vault event and a silver in the all-round competition — changed her mind and convinced her that Brazilian gymnasts can win at the Olympics. She is even more convinced now after her compatriot beat Biles in the floor exercise.

“It is what Rebeca says. We have to trust the work we do here every day, get our training right and become confident in what we do when we are doing it,” said Kriegel, as 10 children aged between 5 and 10 years old entered the gym for a trial. “Before her it wasn't possible. And now it is much beyond what we expected.”

Mônica dos Anjos, a gymnastics teacher at the Bonifácio Cardoso and a referee in official competitions, was one of the first to see Andrade in action — when Andrade was 5. She said it didn't take long for all staffers to be sure she would become a star.

“I saw a little girl with that biotype. Strong, explosive, just playing,” Dos Anjos said. “Many girls started coming in 2021 because of Rebeca. Now they know it is possible. Rebeca was here, she jumped the same vault, performed on the same floor. Not all will make it, but just dreaming about it and trying hard will open many doors for them in the future.”

Kelly Mendes brought her daughter Lara Vicente to the gym five years ago, when Lara was only 7. There was no Andrade to inspire them then, but Brazil was already falling in love with gymnastics. Now, that passion is set to grow even more, she believes.

“This place is great for training. We can't say a (bad) word about their coaches." Mendes said Tuesday. “Guarulhos could have another Rebeca.”

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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games