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Suburb gymnasts fundraise to compete abroad
Young people carry out fundraising to raise a total of R$40,000, which will guarantee the trip and stay
Published on October 24, 2024 at 06:00

Young people are athletes at the Talent training center Credit: Paula Froes/CORREIO
“I will do everything to achieve my dream.” The determination of gymnast Maria Clara das Neves, 13, is shared with three other athletes from the suburb of Salvador, who struggle with a lack of support for competitions. Without funds for travel, accommodation and uniforms, they – who are part of the team at the Talent training center, Barris – fundraise to guarantee the amount of R$40,000 to participate in international championships.
Alongside Maria Clara, Kerem Santos, 11, and Ellen Vitória Correia, 18, qualified for the Pan-American Aerobics Gymnastics Championship, which will be held in Panama, between the 18th and 19th of November.
To cover the costs, the athletes raised a virtual fundraiser (https://bit.ly/3UnElUn) with a goal of R$30 thousand. Created last Saturday (19), the girls have already raised R$2,403. “In addition to the crowdfunding, we are selling things to get money. We really hope to reach the goal so we can travel. I’m very confident it will work. With everyone’s help, we will be able to make it possible”, said the 13-year-old gymnast.

Maria Clara Gomes, 13 years old Credit: Paula Fróes/CORREIO
Kerem shares the same idea as her colleague and says she is very excited for her second international competition. “My first was in Peru. For me, it was a great experience traveling outside Brazil for the first time. Now, for the second time, I feel very honored to be chosen and know that my efforts were worth it. I’m very happy because I’m going to represent Brazil and Bahia. I’m sure I’ll have a good result”, he declares.
In addition to the aerobic gymnastics trio, little Bruna Sacramento, 9 years old, is among the athletes selected to compete in the South American Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship, which will be held in Aracaju, December 3rd to 9th. The girl asks for R$10,000 in her fundraising (https://bit.ly/4e1NitD) and, so far, has raised R$580. “I’m excited and I think I’m going to win the competition”, she says.
At the Talent training center, young women are guided by the couple Eliana and Adison Mirales. The rhythmic gymnastics coach says she identifies with the girls, as she was also a high-performance athlete, but had to give up her dream due to financial problems. After losing her father at the age of 15, the teacher had to give up her sports career and, at the age of 18, after marrying Adison, she formed Talent.
“I faced this struggle that girls face today in my childhood and adolescence and had to give up what I loved because I couldn’t afford it. Today, I fight and defend their dream. Often, girls arrive without having a meal at home. In competitions, these restrictions are even more delicate. If they don’t have food, how are they going to have R$30,000 to pay for a championship?”, he asks.

Eliana Mirales, Talent coach Credit: Paula Fróes/CORREIO
The project began in the suburb of Salvador, but acquired a second unit in Barris, within the Assunção school, which has a better structure. In this second unit, however, the high-income athletes, who live in Subúrbio Ferroviário, face the challenge of commuting, which makes their routine difficult for them and their families.
Maria Clara’s grandmother, Ana Rita das Neves says that her granddaughter leaves home, in Mirantes de Periperi, at 6am and only returns at 9:30pm. Despite the rush, she highlights that the time with the little one is worth it. “It’s a wonderful feeling [ter uma atleta na família]. The family is amazed and a little jealous with the decision”, he jokes. A gymnast since the age of four, Kerem says that the idea of practicing a not-so-popular sport came from her main partner: her mother. “My mother always saw me doing a lot of crazy things at home. She told me to stop, so I wouldn’t get hurt and she saw that my school had a gym space, so she put me in. She helps me with everything”, he declares.
The eleven-year-old athlete also adds that the decision to join gymnastics changed not only her physical condition, but her mentality and maturity. “When I’m practicing gymnastics, I feel very happy and fulfilled with a dream”, she concludes.
With the guidance of head of reporting Perla Ribeiro
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