On Monday (5), São Paulo’s Rebeca Andrade won the gold medal in the floor exercise, achieving her fourth podium finish at the Paris Olympics. This was her sixth Olympic medal, making her the most decorated Brazilian athlete in the history of the event, surpassing sailors Robert Scheidt and Torben Grael, with whom the gymnast was tied.
Rebeca scored 14.166 in her performance, surpassing favorite Simone Biles. The American—who earlier missed the podium on the balance beam, just like the Brazilian—scored 14.133, suffering two penalties for stepping off the competition floor. Nevertheless, she secured the silver medal. The podium was completed by Jordan Chiles, also from the United States, with 13.766.
The Brazilian was the second to perform, to a medley of “End of Time” by Beyonce and “Movimento da Sanfoninha” by Anitta. She received 8.266 for the execution of her routine and an additional 5.900 for the difficulty score of her acrobatics. The coaching staff requested a review of the latter score, but without success. Rebeca’s total score (14.166) was better than her all-around score (14.033) and qualifying score (13.900), but lower than what she achieved in the team competition (14.200).
All eyes then turned to Biles. She performed the most complex routine of the final, with a difficulty score of 6.900. However, in two acrobatics, she stepped off the floor with both feet, which lowered her execution score (7.833) and resulted in a 0.6 penalty. Rebeca still had to wait for the performances of Romania’s Sabrina Maneca-Voinea and Jordan Chiles to celebrate, emotionally, her victory in the floor exercise.
Off the Podium on the Balance Beam
Rebeca finished in fourth place in the balance beam event, which preceded the floor exercise. The São Paulo native scored 13.933 for her performance, just behind Italy’s Manila Esposito, who won bronze with 14.000. Despite some imbalances in her routine, the Brazilian did not fall off the apparatus.
The gold went to fellow Italian Alice D’Amato, who scored 14.366, while China’s Zhou Yaqin took silver with 14.100. American Simone Biles, a favorite for gold, fell at the end of her routine, costing her a spot on the podium. With a score of 13.100, she finished in fifth place. Santa Catarina’s Júlia Soares, in her first Olympic final, placed seventh with 12.333.
Source: Agência Brasil