Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade, 24 years old, became the first female athlete from the country to win a Laureus Award – widely considered the ‘Oscars of Sport’. On April 21, she received the honor in the ‘Comeback of the Year’ category, beating five other nominees. The award ceremony took place at the Palacio de Cibeles in Madrid, Spain.
Before shining at the Paris Olympics with four Olympic medals (one gold, two silvers, and one bronze), Rebeca Andrade was already a symbol of resilience away from the spotlight. She underwent three surgeries to repair anterior cruciate ligament injuries – setbacks that nearly led her to abandon her career.
In her speech, the Brazilian athlete expressed gratitude to her family and team, and highlighted the crucial role of psychologist Aline Wolff in her injury recovery.
“I want to thank her for the dedication, support, and care during my recovery,” Rebeca said upon receiving the award. “I’m happy to be a great reference for future generations and people in general – showing that with strength we can achieve our goals, no matter where we come from.”
Competing with the Brazilian gymnast for the ‘Comeback of the Year’ award were American swimmer Caeleb Dressel, Swiss skier Lara Gut-Behrami, Spanish MotoGP rider Marc Márquez, Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant, and Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus.
The most decorated Brazilian Olympic athlete, with nine medals, Rebeca Andrade stole the show at Paris 2024 by winning gold in the floor exercise, defeating American multi-champion Simone Biles. Upon ascending the podium, Rebeca received praise from both Biles (silver) and Jordan Chiles (bronze), also from the US. In addition to the gold, Rebeca won three more medals at Paris 2024: two silvers in the individual all-around and vault, and one bronze in the team event.
The last Brazilian awarded in the ‘Comeback of the Year’ category was Ronaldo Fenômeno, in 2003. The striker had undergone knee surgery before leading the Brazilian national team to victory in the 2002 World Cup.
Source: Agência Brasil