Brazil takes on the U.S.

Third time’s the charm for Brazil in the women’s artistic gymnastics, after standing on two podiums beneath athletes from the U.S. This Monday, Rebeca Andrade finally beat U.S. gymnastics icon Simone Biles, and the Brazilian flag was raised above the American stars and stripes during a victory ceremony. A happy ending? Well, only for gymnastics.

While week one of the Olympics saw Brazilians concerned about seemingly losing all their deciding encounters to Japanese athletes, a new rival emerged in this last week — the mighty U.S.

Suddenly, whenever Brazil had good medal chances, it appeared that U.S. athletes were always there to stand in their way. 

In skateboarding, surfing, volleyball, and basketball, Brazilian athletes and teams were pipped to the post or eliminated by the Americans. Perhaps not a surprise, as the U.S. is an Olympic powerhouse, with a huge medal count already in a wide range of events. Brazil gets nowhere near in comparison.

But Brazil will have a chance to get one over the U.S. on Saturday, when the women’s football team takes on the Americans in the gold medal match.

After a disappointing campaign in the group stage, the Brazilians flipped a switch and delivered two heroic performances against France and Spain in the knockout rounds. The U.S. team awaits in the final. 

Motivation is already high enough for Brazil’s team, even without the faux Olympic rivalry. Brazil’s women’s national football team has never won a major international competition, and a gold medal on Saturday could be a turning point for the sport. But a little extra needle in the buildup to the final can’t hurt, can it?

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