Pepe's advice
If I could give one piece of advice for the young canoers would be to have fun in the water and not to get too worried about the results this early. There will be time enough for that.
When I started paddling in this small countryside town named Piraju, everything felt far away for our young group of athletes between 12 and 16 years old. We were paddling in boats made out of glass fibre, plastic paddlers and nylon vests that perhaps would be better off without them due to the amount of water that kept getting inside the boats.
In my family there is no history of athletes, and perhaps only my mother really supported me to pursue it, nevertheless what truly hooked me to the sport was how fascinating it felt to move between the so much feared natural rapids present in the river in my hometown.
Our coach at the time (Claudiney de Almeida) was someone incredible and one of the best trainers I ever had. Even though he got introduced to the sport almost at the same time as we, and not having competed at all in his life, he thought us something unique, the love to this sport. When we started back in 2005, no one knew exactly what or how to train for kayaking purposes. We would put a heavy stone inside the boat (like 10 kilos) and then paddle for 40 minutes continuously. This was our physical preparation. But at the end of this, we would be left with some time to just have some fun, like playing catch in the water with the boats.
A funny fact is that I was the last one to learn how to roll with the boat, but this would not stop me from trying to face the white waters in the rapids, which would always end up with me swimming away and the older guys having to go after my boat and paddles. After this happening ten times in one day they ended up making me learn how to finally roll when the boat would capsize.
I still remember how back in 2005 for us young athletes in Brazil, the idea of international competitions and prizes sounded far away. At this time, I had a DVD (the new generation might not even know what this is) with several videos from names like Campbellwalsh, where I would watch him for hours and later try to replicate his moves in the water. Or even Guille Diz Canedo doing kickflips which got my excited to the point that this is still my favourite trick to do with the boat these days.
Four years later and I was on my way to my first World Championships in La Seu de U’rgel, in Spain, facing the same guys I was admiring on DVDs a few years earlier. Obviously, I could not let the chance go and after the competition I run to the British team tent to buy a spray deck from Campbell! (And I still have it!).
Maybe if you had asked someone in 2005 to any specialist if Brazil could be in the top 10 in the slalom kayaking, I almost sure the answer would had been no.
Slalom kayaking is a sport made-to-fit in Europe. Most of the competitions are there, making training and logistics much easier. Even the equipment, we have to buy them in Europe and due to this we can never try a new model before the circuit has started.
And why am I saying all of this?
I say this because I want to show that what kept me motivated throughout all these years, in spite of all the difficulties of practicing a sport that is not popular in Brazil, was love to the sport.
The love for kayaking made me go through these 17 years with the same bright eyes whenever I step into the water, with the same smile when I finish a hard training session, with the same eagerness of jumping into the boat even when I am on my day off, just to have some fun in the water. And for me there is nothing more valuable than having the chance to work with something you love so much.
Life for an elite athlete is not easy, and for me the formula to make it work is to have fun in the water and put a lot of love in each stroke towards my goals. To all the trainers and young athletes I would say to not get so concerned about the results in the beginning. Focus on being happy in the water in each training, try different types of styles and manoeuvres. Build a solid base on your passion for the sport and the willingness to be in this environment and this will help making the difference later on.
Today I am 29 years old and still have not achieved my dream as a professional kayaker, nevertheless each result I achieve is special and make me remember the path I trailed to be here. And what is most important, always having fun with my boat.
Major achievements:
6th place in Rio Olympic Games 2016
World’s finalist 2021 – Slovakia
Gold medallist Extreme Slalom World Cup – Germany 2021
Bronze medallist Slalom World Cup - Slovenia 2021
2x Gold medallist Pan-American Games 2019 – Lima, Peru
