Rayssa Leal matures with psychological follow-up – 04/26/2023 – Sport

It didn’t look like it, but Rayssa Leal was nervous. Between one lap and another of her presentation in the skate street decision at the Tokyo Games, the Maranhão danced as if she were playing.

The dance moves that went viral were her way, however, to ease the tension at that moment.

Just turned 15 years old, almost two years after the historic silver medal in the modality’s debut in an Olympics, Fadinha has matured, learned new ways of dealing with her emotions and also started to face competitions in a different way.

Sport, for her, is no longer just a game. “In all championships, we compete wanting first place. But, before the Olympics, that wasn’t my focus. I just wanted to have fun. Now, I want to have fun with first place in hand”, says the skater. The Sheet.

The shift in mindset reflects the transition she is going through right now. From the girl who became famous for skating dressed as a fairy to the teenager who dreams of shining at the Paris Games in 2024.

Like the maneuvers she usually does with her skateboard, this process ended up being accelerated. Simple things like going out for a walk, for example, changed overnight.

“Sometimes, I wanted to go out and there was a lot of turmoil on top of me, with people wanting to take pictures. This left me a little lost because until today it still hasn’t dawned on me what I’m becoming, the things I’ve done on skateboard “, says Brazil’s youngest Olympic medalist — she was 13 when she won silver in Japan.

To deal with this harassment while trying to preserve her youth and continue doing the things she wants to do, the young woman began to be monitored by Gissele Serra Angeliéri, a sports psychologist specializing in cognitive performance.

“Gi and I talked a lot about all this, about my personal, professional and school life as well. It makes me calmer for the championships”, highlights Rayssa. “Before, I was very nervous. It didn’t seem like it, but that little girl was there for it, to relax.”

Even so, she recognizes that it is not always possible to have a life considered normal for her age. The girl gets lost trying to count the countries she has traveled to to compete on her fingers.

“I always do the things that a 15-year-old girl does, but I skate, I travel… In fact, not every girl travels to skate [risos]but for me it’s very peaceful”, he says.

Of the places she has been to, the United States, destination of her first international trip to compete, and Japan, stage of the last Olympics, are the countries that the young woman likes the most, although Japanese cuisine causes her a little strangeness. .

“The food there is a bit crazy. It’s not like in Brazil, rice, beans and chicken, our everyday food. There’s sushi, squid, octopus… [risos]”, Recalls Rayssa.

This week, she is away from home again. Current champion of the SLS (Street League Skateboarding) undefeated, the young woman will be the only Brazilian representative in the female dispute of the Chicago stage, in the USA, scheduled for next Saturday (29).

In the women’s category, six athletes compete in the finals of each stage. During the season, the skaters competed in three stages and the Super Crown, known as the event that defines the world champions of the tournament.

There is still no confirmation of the venue for the finals, but in addition to Chicago, the competition will pass through Tokyo (August 12) and Sydney (October 7).

When she started skating, Rayssa Leal could not imagine that she could travel around the world because of the sport. In fact, her big dream was to meet fellow skater Letícia Bufoni, 30.

“Everything was based on Letícia. I watched her, I was inspired and still am inspired by her. When I was very young, I just wanted to meet her. I didn’t think about all that could happen”, recalls Fadinha.

Recently, in an interview with the “Podpah” podcast, Letícia made several compliments to the pupil and said that she still “has no idea of ​​the weight she carries”, in addition to highlighting her strong personality.

Some of the big brands, however, realized this soon after her success at the Tokyo Games. The young woman currently has six sponsors, has already been on the cover of the prestigious magazine Vogue do Brasil, won a jewelry line from the renowned jewelry company H.Stern and even played opposite the character Bugs Bunny in an animation for the release of the movie Space Jam on HBO.

Gradually, the young woman is also getting to know her media potential and some actions come from her, such as choosing the color of the board —as skate boards are known— that she will use this Saturday.

“I’ve always wanted to visit Chicago, but I only stopped by making connections. Now I’m going to get to know it better and wear a red board because of the [time de basquete] Chicago Bulls in honor of the city.”