“It’s sad, it’s very sad, it’s horrible.” These were the words that came out of the six-time Olympian, Rebeca Andrade, when she was asked about the condition of a certain group of gymnasts. In her latest BBC interview, the Olympic gold medalist sat down to deal with a very sensitive topic that has long plagued the gymnastics community. Throughout her interaction, people get glimpses of her passion to alleviate this evil, as she raises awareness about the dark side of gymnastics as an insider.
In her interview with the BBC World Service, when confronted with a 2022 case where a gymnastics coach was convicted of rape, the 25-year-old candidly expressed her opinion about the condition of young gymnasts. When asked about what can be done to protect young gymnasts, the Olympic champion stressed how hard can it be to talk sometimes, she said, “sometimes it’s already really hard to talk and then when they are able to speak they are discredited because the person who’s doing it says, ‘No, I would never do that.’ Piling on the misery of young gymnasts is the risk that their accounts are never seriously taken. To this problem, the Sao Paulo native has a solution to offer.
She told BBC, “I think the professionals should believe in what these children and young people are saying…There has to be trained professionals to spot that.” There is no point in speaking up if nobody listens. Therefore, Andrade offered a realistic option of having a designated team of professionals who are thoroughly sensitized to deal with issues like this. Moreover, having long been a part of the gymnastics community, she understands why many young gymnasts just choose to suffer in silence.
Highlighting the cutthroat competition to be part of elite gymnastics teams, the 25-year-old stated that sometimes, young gymnasts are given the option to either suffer in silence, or throw away their dreams! “They are told, ‘You can’t tell anyone, if you tell I’m going to kick you off the team’. And their dream is to be part of the team. Their dream is to be part of a team, so it’s understandable that it takes so long to speak up, you know?”
The 6-time Olympic medalist had great coaches who supported her, but it does not mean she didn’t have her problems.
It took Rebeca Andrade 11 years
Andrade has had a tough career. To begin with, her start was rough– born into poverty, Rebeca Andrade’s mother had to borrow money to feed her family. Even then, her family went above and beyond to support the 25-year-old’s gymnastics career. Growing up, despite being the most decorated Latin-American gymnast, the Brazilian has somewhat been the underdog in the game, falling to the likes of Simone Biles. Injuries themselves had an impact on the gymnast; three ACL tears, missing out on the 2019 World Championships, all that without her family had taken a toll on her mental health. During her darkest times, she often found no support when she looked around.
Recalling 2019, she told the BBC interviewer, “My mum wasn’t there…I was crying, whispering and telling God that I just wanted a hug, that I just wanted to feel welcomed.” Andrade was pining for her mother. She desperately needed some support when she thought the 2019 ACL tear had ended her career. During such times, she went to therapy and that is when things started to make sense.
“It took me 11 years to be able to put everything into practice and now with 13 years of therapy, things are flowing.” Her psychologist Aline taught her great mental resilience, which has resulted in Andrade smiling more; she said in the interview that her way to celebrate after big achievements is to smile. We hope this gymnastics sensation channels her energy to help and uplift younger gymnasts who are struggling.
What Andrade has revealed about the gymnastics is beyond sad. In the pursuit of dreams, this is a horrible roadblock. We hope for better days when young gymnasts are able to freely maximize their potential to becoming the best versions of themselves, With Olympic champions like Rebeca Andrade speaking up, not all hope is lost.
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