Rebeca Andrade will skip October’s World Artistic Gymnastics Championships set for Jakarta, Indonesia, telling Brazilian media she is targeting a return to the sport in 2026.
The 26-year-old, who won Olympic gold in the women’s floor exercise last year at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and is Brazil’s most decorated Olympic medallist, has decided with her support team to extend her ongoing break after her success in the French capital.
“I’m resting. It’s been very important to me,” Andrade told Globo. “It was something I’ve wanted for a long time, but understanding my priorities, I ended up putting it (rest) off. But today, it’s been wonderful.”
This is Andrade’s first major period of time off in her senior career, which began in 2015. The Brazilian has used the time to relax and travel the world, while also fulfilling professional commitments such as the Laureus Sports Awards, which she attended in Madrid earlier this year.
However, she has continued light training throughout the year, according to Globo. The six-time Olympic medallist, who also won all-around silver last year behind Simone Biles, is expected to drop the floor exercise from her events when she returns next year.
“If you ask me today, it’s something that’s 100 per cent resolved,” she said. “I don’t want to do it. I go through this every day — I go through pain, tiredness; I know the effort I need to give to have a good performance. I don’t want to show up and just do anything; I want to show up to do the best of my ability.”
With the other two all-around medallists from Paris, Biles and Sunisa Lee, also sitting out the season — neither has yet to announce if they will return to the sport — the competition appears open.
Someone not named Biles or Andrade will become the world all-around champion for the first time since 2021 and only the third time since 2013, with the last two times also coming in post-Olympic Games editions of the World Championships in 2017 (Morgan Hurd) and 2021 (Angelina Melnikova). Andrade won in 2022, while Biles took gold in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, and 2023.