With family, friends and former athletes, Walewska is buried

The former volleyball player Walewska Oliveira, 43 years old, was laid to rest and buried this Saturday morning (23), at the Bosque da Esperança cemetery, in the northern region of Belo Horizonte (MG). The former athlete, Olympic champion with the Brazilian team in Beijing-2008, died in São Paulo, last Thursday (21), after falling from the 17th floor of the building where she lived. The death is still investigated. The police are not ruling out the possibility of suicide.

The wake began around 6 am Brasília time, when the first family and friends began to arrive. Although it was informed that Walewska’s husband, Ricardo Alexandre Mendes, would not attend the wake, he was at the cemetery and followed the procession. At the family’s request, journalists had to stay away from the place where the body was laid to rest.

Big names in Brazilian volleyball were at the cemetery to say their last goodbye to the athlete, such as libero Suelen, from Praia Clube, as well as Sheila, Anderson Rodrigues and Maurício Lima, former players of the Brazilian National Team.

“I’m still a bit in shock,” commented Anderson. “She was a very strong person, as a woman, as a person, as an athlete, she had mental strength, because the life of an athlete is not easy. Everyday life is challenging, and when you are faced with this situation you feel a bit in shock. She will be greatly missed. Both as a person, as a human being, as a daughter, as a woman, as a former athlete. A good person.”

Childhood friend awaits investigations

Walewska’s journalist and former advisor, Rafael Alves, was her childhood friend. He spoke to the press during the wake and highlighted that he is waiting for the police to work to find out what really happened. “We believe in the investigations and there will be a discovery of what really happened and what is behind all of this. Nobody, if they choose to do this, chooses for an unnecessary reason”, he said.

Rafael even assured that neither he nor his family had access to the letter left by the athlete and only stressed that he was awaiting the investigation. However, when asked if she was going through a moment of overload, he highlighted that social media generates pressure.

“And also a need to perform that has generated burnout, problems in several people, not just her, but me. But, perhaps yes. The amount of demand may have generated great pressure (on her) and this need to perform “, commented the journalist.

Friends for 30 years, Alves also recognizes that it will be difficult to assimilate the loss and regrets not having responded to the last WhatsApp message. “She was a person full of plans and had a busy schedule,” he recalled.

“I received a WhatsApp message from her that I didn’t have time to respond to, and that I will never be able to respond to again, which was asking me what day I would go to São Paulo. We would have meetings to talk about projects and precisely this new transition that she I had assumed: to be a leader and to talk about achievements and victories, but unfortunately, it won’t be possible”, concluded Rafael.