Rebeca Andrade returns on the vault at the Pan-American and leads with 14.549

After more than a year away from competition, Rebeca Andrade stepped back into the arena on Wednesday (the 17th), at the 2026 Artistic Gymnastics Pan-American Championship, held in Rio de Janeiro. The greatest Olympic medalist in Brazil’s history made her return on the vault, posted the best score on the apparatus among all athletes – 14.549 – and put the national team back on the continental map of the sport.

How Brazil fared on each apparatus

The Brazilian women’s team competed on four apparatuses throughout the day. On the uneven bars, Thaís Fidelis, Sophia Weisberg, Gabriela Bouças and Julia Soares opened the country’s participation. Gabi Bouças led the group with 13.033, good enough for eighth overall on the apparatus.

On the beam, Thaís Fidelis shone: 13.833 points and first overall among all competitors. Julia Soares completed a solid routine with 13.566 and finished fourth. Sophia Weisberg suffered a fall but still totaled 12.600. On the floor, Thaís stood out again – 12.833 and fifth overall – while Sophia and Julia also featured in the apparatus’s top 15.

The day closed with the vault, the most eagerly awaited moment. Rebeca took to the runway, performed and walked away with the highest score of the round. By a distance. The standalone number sums up what everyone wanted to confirm: she is back, and at a high level.

What is at stake in the tournament

The Pan-American runs until June 21 in Rio and goes beyond the fight for medals. For Brazil, the tournament is a decisive stage in the race for a spot at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championship. In other words, every tenth of a point counts – both technically and strategically.

The team features Julia Soares, Gabriela Barbosa, Gabriela Bouças, Sophia Weisberg and Thaís Fidelis, in addition to Rebeca. It is an experienced group, with names who were in Paris 2024. But it is the presence of the Olympic champion that changes the team’s weight. Not only for what she represents on the scoreboard, but for what she means to the dynamics of the entire group within the competition.

The team event was just the beginning. The individual finals are still to come – and, with Rebeca confirmed to be in form, Brazil reaches them with credentials to spare.