Gymnast Rebeca Andrade awarded Laureus honor, the “Oscars of Sport”
Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade, 24, became the first female athlete from the country to win a Laureus Award—widely regarded as the “Oscars of Sport”, established 25 years ago. On Monday (Apr. 21), she received the honor in the “Comeback of the Year” category, prevailing over five other nominees. The awards ceremony was held at the Palacio de Cibeles in Madrid, Spain.
Before shining at the Paris Games with four Olympic medals (a gold, two silver, and a 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 emphasized the crucial role psychologist Aline Wolff played in her recovery from injury.
“I want to thank her for her dedication, support, and care during my recovery,” Rebeca said as she accepted the award. “I’m happy to be a a great reference for future generations and for 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.
Brazil’s most decorated Olympic athlete, with nine medals, Rebeca Andrade stole the spotlight at Paris 2024 when she claimed gold in the floor exercise, defeating US multi-champion Simone Biles. As she stood atop the podium, Rebeca received praise from both Biles (silver) and Jordan Chiles (bronze), also from the US. In addition to her gold, Rebeca earned three more medals at Paris 2024: two silver, in the individual all-around and vault, and a bronze in the team event.
The last Brazilian to be awarded the Laureus in the “Comeback of the Year” category was Ronaldo Fenômeno, in 2003. The striker had undergone knee surgery prior to leading the Brazilian national team to victory in the 2002 World Cup.
