When the women's artistic gymnastics competition starts at the Olympics on Sunday, the crowd won't just be cheering for Simone Biles to tumble her way to multiple gold medals; the audience in Rio has their own hometown favorite to root for in 16-year-old Flavia Lopes Saraiva.
The gymnast is just 4'4", which makes Biles, who measures in at 4'8", look tall by comparison.
Saraiva is a true "carioca," which means she's a native of Rio de Janeiro. She started gymnastics at nine, which is relatively late for the sport, at a "social project," which is sort of like the equivalent of a community center in the U.S. where kids from low income families can get involved in sports and extracurricular activities. Saraiva was spotted by gymnastics coach Georgette Vidor, the Brazilian Gymnastics Confederation's coordinator for women's gymnastics, when the gymnast's mother brought her in. Fast forward seven years and Saraiva is ready for her Olympic debut.
Here's what you need to know about her.
Her breakout competition:
Saraiva had her breakout performance as a junior in 2014 when she competed at the Youth Olympic Games instead of teammate Rebecca Andrade, who was injured at the time. Saraiva, who was then almost 15, made the most of her big break, taking second place in the all-around, the silver on balance beam, and the gold on floor exercise. Not bad for a last minute replacement.
But more important than her overall placement at that competition is the potential she demonstrated. She was able to hang with the top junior stars from China, Great Britain, and Russia. She finished second to Seda Tutkhalyan, who is on Russia's Olympic team, and ahead of Ellie Downie, who is the star of the British squad.
Here she is charming everyone's socks off in Nanjing, China.
And here's a tattoo— fake? real?—someone made of Saraiva from that competition.
Her first senior season:
2015 was Saraiva's first year at the senior level. She represented Brazil at the world championships in Glasgow.Though Brazil placed a disappointing ninth in 2015—just missing out on the top eight and automatic Olympic team berth—Saraiva comported herself quite well, especially given that it was her first time competing in the big leagues and qualified to the individual all around final.
Where she might medal:
Even though Saraiva is best known for her impishly delightful performances on the floor exercise, balance beam is where Saraiva has her most realistic shot at an Olympic medal.
She competes with above average difficulty on the event but what truly sets her apart is her tidy execution. Saraiva has an excellent toe point and leg extension. She stretches easily into full splits on her leaps and is a powerful tumbler on the event to boot.
A strong performance coupled with the home crowd support just might buoy her to a medal.
Here is her performance from earlier this season at the Anadia World Cup where she placed first on the balance beam.
Who she reminds us of:
1985 co-world all-around champion Oksana Omelianchik.
Saraiva is not the first gymnast who gives off the impression that cartoon birds help her get dressed in the morning. That distinction first belonged to the Soviet Union's Oksana Omelianchik who performed her floor routine to the sounds of actual birds chirping. Like Saraiva, Omelianchik moved lightly across the mat, barely touching it. She also conveyed the same joy in performance that the Brazilian would project more than 30 years later.
Hang time:
Gymnasts are some of the shortest athletes at the Olympics but Saraiva is uniquely short—even among the gymnasts. The difference between her and fellow gymnasts is, at times, stark.
Her fellow gymnasts seem to be having fun with this:
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