Rebeca Andrade never meant for her break to be this long. Who could forget her iconic defining image from the 2024 Paris Olympics? There she stood, hands raised with a wide smile, while Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles bowed down to the Olympic gold medalist. It felt like the next point in the iconic rivalry, but nearly two years later, neither Biles nor Andrade has competed again. But that’s set to change as Andrade announced her plans.

Andrade decided to take a break to manage the physical and mental toll of an Olympic cycle in 2024, and nearly two years flew by as it became an extended break. That’s exactly why the 27-year-old plans to take it slow ahead of her comeback at the Pan American Gymnastics Championships.

“It’s been OK, one day at a time,” Andrade told Olympics.com in February. “I am very happy with the way things are happening, with such tranquility. I’m very excited for what’s to come, but always alert so that my body and mind are balanced.”

Olympics.com and journalist Scott Bregman have confirmed the news, with Andrade back in action for the first time since Paris. She will, however, only compete on the vault at June’s Pan American Gymnastics Championships, which is a qualifier. The top 13 all-rounders in the event will earn a position at the 2026 World Gymnastics Championships.

That does make it tougher for Andrade, especially given that she’s only competing in the one event. Yet, it’s the one event that she just happens to be a superstar in. Since her debut in 2015, Andrade has won multiple medals in the vault, including an Olympic gold in 2021. She also won the gold at the Pan American Games in 2023 and pipped Simone Biles to the world vault title, too.

It marked the first time in a long time that a gymnast had beaten Biles, and nobody was surprised that it was Rebeca Andrade. After all, for years, since the Tokyo Olympics, the Brazilian has been one step behind Biles. At Paris 2024, Biles faltered on the floor with two errors; Andrade was flawless and claimed gold

Moving further back, she won the all-around title at the 2022 World Championships in Biles’ absence. At the 2021 Olympics, Andrade won gold on the vault and silver in the all-around.

Yet, Rebeca Andrade has been on Biles’ heels. So much so that it has often terrified Biles, as she noted after winning the all-around gold in Paris.

“I don’t want to compete with Rebeca no more,” Biles joked in 2024, as per Forbes. “I’m tired. Like, she’s way too close. I’ve never had an athlete that close.”

How close? Biles won the Olympic gold with a score of 59.131, and Andrade was right behind with 57.932. Move back to the 2023 worlds, and Biles won gold again in the all-around. This time, she scored 58.399, and Andrade scored 56.766 for silver. The same happened on the balance beam as Biles won gold (14.800) while the Brazilian won bronze (14.300).

Then it happened again on the floor: Biles won gold (14.633), and Andrade won silver (14.500). Between 2020 and 2024, Rebeca Andrade was arguably the best gymnast not named Simone Biles. In fact, she is the first Brazilian ever to win an Olympic gold in gymnastics.

The competitive rivalry between Biles and Andrade drew parallels with the iconic Nadia Comăneci vs. Nellie Kim rivalry during the Cold War-era gymnastics duel. Comăneci scored the first-ever perfect 10 and frequently faced off against Kim, an explosive and powerful tumbler. Their battle defined an entire era of women’s artistic gymnastics at the 1976 and 1980 Olympics.

Not only that, but she also became the most decorated Brazilian Olympian with six medals. It’s why Chiles and Biles decided to give Andrade her flowers in Paris, and why the latter considers her a friend.

Simone Biles reflects on her relationship with Rebeca Andrade

Their rivalry ignited after 2020, but Biles had mentored Andrade years earlier. When Andrade suffered the second of her three ACL tears in 2017, she nearly considered quitting. Yet there was Biles, taking the younger gymnast aside and encouraging her not to give up.

It’s likely what helped her get through the third tear less than two years later and what pushed her into superstardom after 2020. That moment will likely define Andrade’s career, and it marked the start of what has been called one of modern gymnastics’ biggest rivalries. For Biles, friendship trumps rivalry as she views Andrade as an ally off the mat.

“I feel like we’ve pushed the sport forward in difficulty so much, and I think our friendship, our camaraderie out there, and our difficulty has been super exciting to see because we’re doing things that the gymnastics community never thought they’d ever see,” Biles told CNN in April 2025. “To go out there from two different countries, two Black girls, it’s really incredible and an honor.”

 Not only that, but the 28-year-old also touched upon that iconic moment atop the podium in Paris. It’s the one that sports fans will likely remember forever, as one icon bowed down in a show of respect to the other.

“We just love competing with Rebeca and win or lose it’s always with grace,” Biles added, reflecting on Paris.

“It just felt right in that moment to do that to Rebeca, just because she is such a legend in gymnastics, and I think this is just the beginning of her career. I think she has a couple more under her belt, and she’s just incredible.” 

Biles believes Rebeca Andrade has more greatness left, and the Brazilian is already proving her right. The comeback starts in June, but the story is far from over.