Brazil's Rebeca Andrade an inspiration to budding gymnasts in her hometown

Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade‘s gold medal for floor exercises in the Olympics on Monday is resonating strongly in her hometown, the city of Guarulhos on the outskirts of Sao Paulo.

Her success, and the sight of runner-up Simone Biles and bronze medallist Jordan Chiles bowing to Andrade on the podium in a gesture of respect, is giving budding gymnasts there fresh inspiration.

At the Bonifácio Cardoso gymnasium, where Rebeca Andrade started training 20 years ago, Kelly Mendes watches her 12-year-old daughter, Lara Vicente, training.

Mendes says it was important for her daughter, who is a fan of both Biles and Andrade, to understand that her idols can sometimes make mistakes.

"Having this opportunity to see this and think 'I'm going to make mistakes today, but I'm going to get it right tomorrow.' With this they will become better human beings and better adults," she said.

Monica dos Anjos, a gymnastics teacher and a referee in official competitions, was one of the first to see Andrade in action at the age of five.

For her, the moment Andrade received the gold medal for the floor exercise with a victory over her legendary rival Biles was remarkable.

"Simone Biles knows that she is a giant in gymnastics, and she humbly accepted and knelt for Rebeca's achievement,” she said.

“It was so exciting, just talking about it thrills me, because it's something unprecedented and I think everyone has to behave like this in all sports, and in life," said dos Anjos.

Andrade's early life in Guarulhos has inspired locals who mimic her audacious moves and  love her resilience.

Born into a poor family, the gymnast used to walk about an hour to get to the gym and relied on her mother, Rosa, to keep her focused on training.

For dos Anjos, the young girls she trains could go even further if they had more support.

"Back in the day when Rebeca had to take bus and walk to come to the gym, who wanted to sponsor her? Now everyone wants to," she said.

"So, I ask people to think about this and look around because there are many Rebecas here."