Julia das Neves Botega Soares (born 23 August 2005) is a Brazilian artistic gymnast and a member of the Brazilian national gymnastics team.[1] Soares represented her country at the 2019 Junior World Championships, where she was a finalist on the balance beam.[2] She made her international senior debut at the 2021 Pan American Championships where she helped Brazil win the team gold, and also took an individual bronze medal on the balance beam.[3] She debuted a new skill, a candle mount with a half twist on the balance beam, which was named after her in the Code of Points.[4] She was part of the silver medal-winning Brazilian team at the 2023 World Championships, and the of the bronze medal-winning team at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Julia Soares
Soares in August 2024
Personal information
Full nameJulia das Neves Botega Soares
Country represented Brazil
Born (2005-08-23) 23 August 2005 (age 19)
Curitiba, Brazil
HometownColombo, Paraná, Brazil
DisciplineWomen's artistic gymnastics
LevelSenior International Elite
Years on national team2018–present (BRA)
ClubCentro de Excelencia de Ginastica (CEGIN)
Head coach(es)Iryna Ilyashenko
Assistant coach(es)Caroline Molinari
Medal record
Women's artistic gymnastics
Representing  Brazil
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Paris Team
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2023 Antwerp Team
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place 2023 Santiago Team
Pan American Championships
Gold medal – first place 2021 Rio de Janeiro Team
Gold medal – first place 2022 Rio de Janeiro Team
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Rio de Janeiro Balance Beam
South American Games
Gold medal – first place 2022 Asunción Team
Gold medal – first place 2022 Asunción All-around
Gold medal – first place 2022 Asunción Balance Beam
Gold medal – first place 2022 Asunción Floor Exercise
South American Championships
Gold medal – first place 2021 San Juan Team
Gold medal – first place 2021 San Juan All-around
Gold medal – first place 2021 San Juan Balance Beam
Gold medal – first place 2021 San Juan Floor Exercise
Bronze medal – third place 2021 San Juan Uneven Bars
FIG World Cup
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Apparatus World Cup 1 0 0

Early life

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Soares was born on 23 August 2005 in Curitiba, and grew up in nearby Colombo. She took up gymnastics at age four, inspired by her older sister Giovanna.[5] Her role model in gymnastics is fellow Brazilian artistic gymnast Daniele Hypólito.[6]

Career

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Junior

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2018

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In April 2018, Soares competed at the City of Jesolo Trophy in Italy, contributing to Brazil’s seventh place finish. She then won gold in the all-around and on the balance beam at the Brazilian Championships. In October 2018, she became the South American junior champion on the balance beam. At the Brazilian Junior Championships, she placed third in the all-around and won the gold on the balance beam, also taking the silver on vault, bars and floor.[7]

2019

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In 2019, Soares placed fifth in the all-around at the Brazilian Event Championships, and took the bronze in both the balance beam and the floor exercise finals in a field of mixed junior and senior competitors. Soares was selected to the Brazilian team for the 2019 Junior World Championships alongside Ana Luiza Lima and Christal Bezerra.[8] She placed 15th in the individual all-around and contributed to the Brazilian team’s seventh place finish in a field of 29 teams. She also qualified to the balance beam final, where she finished seventh.[2] Soares went on to compete at the Brazilian Championships, becoming the junior national champion in the all-around as well as on the balance beam and on the floor exercise.[7]

At the 2019 South American Junior Championships in Cali, Colombia, Soares earned the bronze medal in the all-around, the silver on beam, gold on floor, and contributed to the Brazilian team’s second place finish behind Argentina. She finished her 2019 season by winning four gold medals at the Brazilian Junior Championships.[7]


Soares competing in the balance beam final at the 2019 Junior World Championships

Senior

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2021

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Soares began competing as a senior in 2021. At the 2021 Pan American Championships held in Rio de Janeiro, she helped Brazil win the gold medal in the team final, and also earned an individual bronze in the balance beam final.[3] In addition, Soares performed a candle mount with a half twist on the balance beam, which was named after her in the Code of Points, as she was the first gymnast to successfully perform the skill at an FIG international competition.[4]

2022

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At the 2022 Pan American Championships Soares helped the Brazilian team win gold and qualify to the World Championships in Liverpool. In september, she competed in the South American Games, in which she won the gold medal in team and all-around finals, in addition to balance beam and floor exercise.

2023

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At the DTB Pokal Stuttgart, Soares won the gold medal on floor exercise.[9] In October, Soares competed at the World Championships along with teammates Rebeca Andrade, Jade Barbosa, Lorrane Oliveira and Flávia Saraiva. The team took the silver medal behind the United States — Brazil's first team medal in World Championship history.[10][11] Later that month, Soares competed at the Pan American Games, where the Brazilian team once again took silver behind the United States.[12] Individually, she finished fourth in the floor final.[13]

2024

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At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Soares won the bronze medal with the Brazilian team in the team all-around final, alongside Rebeca Andrade, Jade Barbosa, Lorrane Oliveira and Flávia Saraiva. This was the first ever Olympic team medal in gymnastics for the country.[14]

Eponymous skills

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Apparatus Name Description Difficulty Added to Code
Balance Beam Soares candle mount with half twist C 2021 Pan American Championships

Competitive history

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Year Event Team AA VT UB BB FX
Junior
2018 City of Jesolo Trophy 7 34
Brazilian Championships        
Brazilian Event Championships   5   5
South American Junior Championships     4  
Brazilian Junior Championships          
2019 WOGA Classic 7
Brazilian Event Championships 5    
Junior World Championships 7 15 7 R1
Brazilian Championships            
South American Junior Championships        
Brazilian Junior Championships        
Senior
2021
Pan American Championships    
Brazilian Championships   4 6  
South American Championships          
2022 Baku World Cup  
Gymnasiade 4 6 7 6
Pan American Championships   6
Brazilian Championships     6    
South American Games        
World Championships 4
2023 DTB Pokal Team Challenge 9 4  
Brazil Trophy    
Pan American Championships 5 7 12 8 8
Brazilian Championships     6    
World Championships  
Pan American Games   4
Arthur Gander Memorial  
Swiss Cup  
2024 Baku World Cup 5
City of Jesolo Trophy    
Brazil Trophy   6
Olympic Games   7 R2
Brazilian Championships     WD WD WD
Arthur Gander Memorial  
Swiss Cup 4

References

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  1. ^ "SELEÇÃO GINÁSTICA ARTÍSTICA FEMININA". Brazilian Gymnastics Federation (CBG) (in Portuguese). Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "1st FIG Artistic Gymnastics Junior World Championships – Results Book". International Gymnastics Federation (FIG). Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "REBECA CONQUISTA VAGA PARA OS JOGOS OLÍMPICOS DE TÓQUIO". Brazilian Gymnastics Federation (CBG) (in Portuguese). June 6, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "JÚLIA SOARES PRESTES A HOMOLOGAR ELEMENTO COM SEU NOME NO CÓDIGO DA FIG". Brazilian Gymnastics Federation (CBG) (in Portuguese). June 7, 2021.
  5. ^ "Thais Fidélis e Ana Luiza Lima brilham no Brasileiro de Especialistas". Esporte Alternativo (in Portuguese). August 18, 2018.
  6. ^ "SOARES Julia – FIG Athlete Profile". International Gymnastics Federation (FIG). June 6, 2019.
  7. ^ a b c "Julia Soares – Competition Results". The Gymternet. 11 January 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  8. ^ "The Junior World Championships Women's Master Team List". The Gymternet. June 5, 2019.
  9. ^ "2023 DTB Pokal Team Challenge Results". The Gymternet. March 20, 2023.
  10. ^ "United States, Brazil, and France comprise historic women's team podium at 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships". Gymnastics Now. 4 October 2023.
  11. ^ "Simone Biles magic leads USA to world gymnastics championships gold medal". The Guardian. 4 October 2023.
  12. ^ "Santiago 2023 – U.S. women's artistic gymnastics team golden again at Pan Am Games". International Olympic Committee. 23 October 2023.
  13. ^ "2023 Pan American Games Results". The Gymternet. 26 October 2023.
  14. ^ "Italy and Brazil make history with Olympic team medals in women's gymnastics". NBC Olympics. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
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