She sustained the injury from a fall on the uneven bars during warmups just before the competition started.
Brazil began the competition on the uneven bars, but Saraiva’s fall occurred during warmups, so her scores were not affected.
Despite her injury, Saraiva performed in all four events during the team competition, achieving a commendable score of 13.666 on the uneven bars shortly after her fall. This was the second-highest score for Brazil on the bars.
Saraiva had a noticeable black eye while competing on Tuesday and wore a bandage across her right eyebrow. Images of her performing with these injuries quickly went viral on social media.
Saraiva played a crucial role in leading Brazil to its first-ever team medal in women’s gymnastics at the Olympics on Tuesday.
The team secured the bronze medal with a total score of 164.497 points, finishing behind the United States, which won gold with 171.296 points, and Italy, which won silver with 165.494 points. Brazil narrowly outscored Great Britain, which placed fourth with 164.263 points.
Saraiva competed in all four events during the team final alongside Rebeca Andrade, who is considered one of the top gymnasts in the competition and a significant rival to American gymnast Simone Biles.
The Brazilian team improved upon its fourth-place finish in the qualification round.
