Rebeca Andrade suffered her first ACL injury in 2015 and had to miss the World Championships that year. She came back in 2016 and helped Brazil to qualify to the Olympics. 2017 was supposed to be her year when she came to the World Championships as one of the main contenders for an all-around medal. However, she re-injured the same ACL while in Montreal and had to withdraw from the competition. Last year, she was still recovering from that injury and could not compete in the all-around at Worlds. She came back to the all-around in the beginning of this year and earned a massive 56.932 score at the DTB-Pokal Team Challenge. However, her 2019 season has been cut short after she sustained another ACL injury (to the same knee) during her floor routine in qualification at the Brazilian Nationals.
Andrade will have to undergo another surgery to repair the ligament and is scheduled to return to training in about six months, which will take her out of Worlds. This affects the chances of Brazil to qualify a full team to the Olympics as Andrade was their strongest all-around gymnast.
Valeri Liukin said that a plan for Andrade’s recovery has already been put together:
“The team will continue to work together. We have already talked with our team of coaches and doctors to put the recovery plan together for Rebeca immediately after the surgery. Firstly, it must be stressed that she is very strong and confident in her recovery. Rebeca Andrade is one of the most technically advanced gymnasts in the world today. Therefore, the degree of difficulties that she performs in her routines is very great. Many injuries occur under these conditions and she was injured while trying to do her best. We are very confident that she will return to compete at the same stage in which she is.”
Andrade posted on her Instagram:
“Unfortunately, this injury has happened, but rest assured that I will not rest one day until I’m 100% again. I am strong and confident that everything will work out and the best is yet to come.”
Since this takes Andrade out of Worlds, she can potentially qualify an individual spot to the Olympics (whether Brazil qualifies the team or not). She already has two first places from Cottbus World Cup on vault and beam and a second place on bars. If she manages to come back in time for the last three World Cups of the series, she can potentially snatch a nominative spot on one of the events at the World Cup series. In addition, another individual spot is available at the 2020 Continental Championships.
What she would have won since 2014 if it were not for this injury that does not tire her of pursuing. In the two biggest competitions in life she participated (2016 and 2017) and she never managed to show 100%. A feather!
It’s unfair the number of catastrophic injuries she has sustained throughout her career. She has never really been able to be 100% at a major senior meet. She was still regaining her strength when she was in Rio. At least she is used to this type of injury so she knows how to best facilitate the recovery process. She could genuinely be the number 2 all-arounder behind Simone.
Absolutely devastating; however, at least we are not in 2020 yet. Ugh. This poor girl cannot catch a freaking break, but she continues to remain optimistic. A real champion. I have so much respect and admiration for her. Im still not over her 2017injury;( i think she, smuth, & Iordache wouldve added so much more drama to that all-around. The entire podium couldve been different.
Anyway, wishing her a quick recovery and may God bless het with a bionic knee. We need her in tokyo!!!
I think she’s too young for a bionic knee. My friend was 35-40 and they said she was too young as they only last 10 years or so.
Good afternoon.
Is it me or Andrade should definetly retire from gymnastics? I mean she has had the same acl injury three times and the chances are big that she will get the same injury when she returns next year. It’s not all about gymnastics it’s also about health. I’m really concerned about her health right now. Are her coaches, technical staff pushing her that hard in a way that she feels she can’t say no to them? Just saying…
UB and VT are the choices for her, forget about the AA and the team competition. I think Lorrane is a better choice for the team even with her plantar fasciitis she could help the team as a VT/UB specialist and still do FX and BB.
As for Rebeca, the best choice besides retiring is becoming a VT/UB specialist, NEVER doing FX and BB – for the sake of her health – and then trying to get and individual spot for Tokyo 2020. I think she could easily qualify as an individual competitor. The best of luck for her.
GET WELL SOON, REBE!!
Would the VT not be risky for her too? I’m not a gymnast but in watching the competitions, I’ve seen knee injuries on landings. I guess you could say the same about UB but you don’t have same amount of impact on the landing, I don’t think. Maybe she wants to continue hoping her knee will be 100% at some point.