Anitta Was ‘Emotional’ After Gymnast Rebeca Andrade Won Olympic Gold With Her Song
Anitta is celebrating Rebeca Andrade’s historic gold medal — and her music’s role in it! On Monday, the Brazilian singer congratulated Andrade on social media after the gymnast became the country’s most-decorated Olympian thanks to her floor routine win.
Andrade’s performance, which earned her a gold medal over Team USA’s Simon Biles‘ silver and Jordan Chiles’ bronze, remixed a live version of Anitta’s 2014 song “Movimento da Sanfoninha” into her routine.
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“Queen of Brazil. 3 big winners,” she wrote, referencing Chiles and Biles. “This queen used my song during the whole competition at her solo performance and I feel so emotional and proud as every Brazilian right now. Thank you Rebeca for representing us so beautifully and for using my song. That means the world to me.”
Anitta continued her post to Andrade in Portuguese, celebrating the singer for “representing” the country so well.
“Only Brazilians know how difficult it is to be an athlete in our country. It requires a lot of love, resistance and courage,” Anitta wrote. “You are an example of fight and grit. I love you and support you now in your victory. I love you and I support you in the future no matter what.”
Andrade now has a total of six Olympic medals, breaking the record of most-decorated Brazilian previously held by sailor Robert Scheidt, who has five.
Along with the floor routine gold, she earned a second gold for vault at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. At this year’s games, she also earned silver medals for vault and artistic individual all-around, both behind Biles, and a bronze medal alongside Team Brazil for artistic team all-around.
During the medal ceremony, both Biles and Chiles bowed for Andrade to commemorate that the ceremony was the first time an Olympic podium featured all Black gymnasts. In a press conference after Andrade’s win, Biles described the Brazilian gymnast as “an icon, a legend.”
“It was an all-Black podium so that was super exciting for us. Jordan was like should we bow to her and I was like absolutely,” Biles said. “She’s such an excitement to watch and then all the fans in the crowd, always cheering for her so it just, it was just the right thing to do. She’s queen.”
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