Is armwrestling popular in Brazil?
Not as much as other sports. I’d say that football, volleyball, even swimming are more popular. But we have quite a few armwrestlers too.
Is Brazilian armwrestling more similar to the American or to the European style?
I think that like everything in Brazil, it’s a bit of both. We like to study different styles, but our goal is the European style, because Europeans are the best. We’d like to wrestle like they do.
Brazil is getting stronger in armwrestling, growing in the world.
We’ve been in this sport for quite some time now, we had our ups and downs. New people come in, old fighters retire. We invest in new talents, so that the sport grows. That’s how we can become world-renown.
And how did you get into armwrestling?
I was 12 when I started doing gymnastics. I looked strong, so another sportsman invited me to an armwrestling tournament, and after 3 weeks I was already the champion of the region. I’ve won my first Worlds after 2 years.
Your favorite technique?
I’d call it a high hook. I use it and it pays off. I’m not too tall, so it’s the best technique for me. I had to choose what’s best for me over the years.
What is armwrestling to you?
It’s something that gives me a lot of good experiences. I travel the world, I train, I take care of my health, I meet interesting people. I cannot imagine quitting that anytime soon.
Winning must be important to you. But what about when you lose?
I don’t like losing, for the past few years I always came 2nd or 3rd. When I lost, I wasn’t disappointed, but I always needed time to put it all together in my head. Now I’m 1st again, and I cannot describe how great it is to be at the top again. It’s great to see that hard work pays off. There’s no better thing than a victory.
What’s your secret to winning?
I think commitment is the key. I cut down 10 kg for the Worlds in Gdynia, to go down a category. The hardest thing was to keep disciplined, not only diet-wise, but general. Sometimes I just lacked the motivation to work out hard enough. Self-discipline and sacrifice are the most difficult things about being a sportsperson. When you become the champion of the world, all eyes are on you. But it’s hard to remain the champion. You become a target then. I’ve been there and I’ve cracked, I couldn’t handle the pressure. It was hard, I had to find back the motivation to get up.
GK, IM