Rebeca Andrade confesses that she has thought about giving up gymnastics: ‘Dark moments of my career’

Rebecca Andrade (23), a young gymnast who took Brazil’s name in sport to the world, took a break from training to enjoy Carnival. In an interview with CARAS Brazilshe confessed that she already thought about giving up a career in gymnastics in her darkest moments, but that this was essential to build the athlete she considers herself today.

“For me, it’s a huge pride to be able to take the name of gymnastics all over the world, to be able to take Brazil as well. It’s a responsibility, but I didn’t do anything alone, I don’t carry that responsibility alone either. My coach is a great coach, today I can be a great athlete and with my work, with my sport, I can encourage so many other children, teenagers and adults too. This is something I’m very proud of. I consider myself such a young person today to be able to represent so much, inside and outside my country. It’s something very grand“, said Rebecca Andrade.

“I love gymnastics a lot and I was lucky to have a coach and to have people who believed in my potential. But I always say that it would be great if we had more public places, that they were free, because Brazil has a lot of talent. And sometimes we end up losing because the family can’t afford it, it’s too expensive. So I think we end up losing talent because of that. We have already improved a lot from what we were, but we can always improve, obviously“, stated the athlete.

Despite having already faced many difficulties, Rebeca Andrade said that this was never a reason for her to want to give up gymnastics. The only thing that ever made the thought of quitting her career cross her mind was her injuries. “The three cruciate injuries to the same knee were dark moments in my career, but they taught me a lot. If I went back to the past, I wouldn’t change a thing, because the injuries made me stronger and taught me how to be the athlete I am today. I am very proud of everything that I had to go through.“, revealed Rebeca Andrade.

SOCIAL LIFE OF AN ATHLETE

A athlete, who said she was very calm in relation to the fans, said that when she is surprised, she ends up taking some scares. “There I get scared. But I’m very calm. I think it’s really cool, because people create an affection for you, for what they’ve seen, for your work and for everything you do“, shared Rebeca Andrade.

With success in her career still very young, Rebeca Andrade had to dedicate a large part of her youth to gymnastics, but athlete explained that he does not miss his moments of tranquility: “It is very important that you have your leisure time. I’ve always been very sport-oriented, of course, but I need my time to go to the movies, to the beach, to be with my boyfriend, to go out with my friends, to have dinner. Do quiet things. Because if not, we don’t live, and life is too short“.