Eyeing the podium: Giovana Stephan
By Mariana Sá and Helena Petry - in
Giovana Stephan's name stands out in Brazilian and international artistic swimming. Responsible for forming one of the sport's most successful and revolutionary pairs, the mixed duo with Renan Alcântara, the athlete embraced a cause few have dared: betting on a partnership with a man in a sport considered so feminine.
With a 20-year career and 29 years of age, Giovana is now preparing for another Pan American Games with the national team, her third so far. Having won everything she competed in wearing Flamengo's colors, she now looks forward to completing another cycle with the green and yellow alongside her already well-known teammates.
In the series "Eye on the Podium," Flamengo's official website tells the stories of some of the club's and Brazil's top athletes, covering their personal lives, careers, and, of course, their favorite. Learn more about those who make Flamengo and Brazil's Olympic sports stronger.
Beginnings in artistic swimming
I started in 1999. I was doing gymnastics here at Flamengo, but I was sick of it and really enjoyed swimming. I walked past one of the pools and saw a bunch of legs sticking up. It was the Brazilian National Team training with Mônica Rosas. I turned to my mom and said I wanted to do that. So she put me in, I competed in my first competition, and I realized that was what I wanted to do. I was only 9 years old.
Arrival at Flamengo
I started gymnastics when I was 5, and my grandmother always lived nearby, so I'd leave school and come here. It's the same old story about Flamengo athletes who have been homegrown since the beginning (laughs).
Memorable moments
There were so many remarkable Brazilians, it's hard to choose just one moment. There are flashes of several important competitions, from those team photos we took after the title. For the Brazilian national team, the 2007 Pan American Games, which were held here and had Roberta Perillier as coach. We had a really good preparation in the Flamengo pool. Also, the 2011 Pan American Games, which were held in Mexico, and we defeated them there to win bronze. There's also the first time I competed with Renan (Alcântara, mixed duet partner) at the South American Championships in 2016, as well as the World Cup in 2017.
Partnership with Renan Alcântara
It's about transforming our sport, which was primarily a women's sport. It was a cause I embraced, and it started in 2015. Maura Xavier, the national team coach at the time, introduced us. I asked him if he'd like to return to swimming, as he'd been inactive. So we went, and it started to work out. I've done duets with several girls, but with him, it was the most successful and has been working for four years. We have a connection. I offer an idea, he suggests something, and I see it will work in the song. It ends up working. I'm touched by how revolutionary it is for the sport.
Daily routine
When we're with the national team, we go to Maria Lenk Aquatic Park at 7:30 AM and stay until 11:30 or 12:20 PM. Then we train here from 15 PM to 18 PM. In the second half of the year, when we'll be with the club only, we'll train from 14 PM to 18 PM every day.
Difficulties of being a high-performance athlete
These are small, everyday challenges that are seen as achievements. Above all, it's important to understand that it's an amateur sport, and if you're studying something unrelated to the sport at university, like Physical Education or Physiotherapy, it's normal to feel like you love what you're doing, but that it's not what you'll do for the rest of your life. So, you have to divide your time. Sometimes you lack support from family, college, or school. You need to know how to balance it.
Main competitions and preparation for the Pan American Games
The World Cup and the Pan American Games are the most important. We still have a competition to play in Argentina and the Brazilian Championship for Flamengo. We're in the final stretch of preparation for the Pan American Games, already assembling the team to achieve maximum motivation. That pre-competition feeling is growing, and the team is already bubbling. We don't have a mixed duet at the Olympic Games yet, so we're hoping to see if it will be included in the 2024 program.
Family structure
I'm an only child, and my parents are very supportive. My mom has always been a fan and has helped me a lot. My dad doesn't compete much.
Idol in sports
I really liked Oscar Schmidt. I admired him greatly. I was also a fan of Bernardinho's Brazilian national team as a team, and how they handled everything.
Hobbies
I enjoy taking photos and taking pictures of everything. It's a way of getting to know myself. I studied economics at university and am now studying physical therapy.
Other modalities
I watch it like any sports fan. If it's on, I stop and watch, but I don't follow it that closely.
Free time
Netflix and rest. I take the opportunity to do what's missing, organize my life. Go to the beach, waterfall.
Technical sheet
Name: Giovana Nunes Stephan
Age: 29 years
Date of birth: 05/05/1990
Height: 1,85m
Place of Birth: Itaú de Minas, Minas Gerais
Main achievements: Building the reference mixed duet in Brazil, several medals in the Brazilian and South American Championships, bronze in the 2007 and 2011 Pan American Games.