Eyeing the podium: Vangelys Reinke
By Mariana Sá and Helena Petry - inThe routine starts early and ends late for Vangelys Reinke. Every day, he arrives at Flamengo's nautical headquarters at 6:30 a.m., trains hard until 11 a.m., heads to Governador Island to teach at a Navy school, returns to the club for another round of training, and finishes his activities at the Physical Education college. Even with a busy and tiring day, the 28-year-old rower from Espírito Santo always has a smile on his face and is ready to give his best.
Vangelys is one of the biggest names in Flamengo rowing today. A member of the Brazilian team that will compete in the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, the athlete was instrumental in the Brazilian boat's qualification in the Lightweight Four-None event and is looking for more. In the sport since 2005, the Espírito Santo native joined Flamengo for the first time in 2013, competing and working at the Flamengo academy. He left and returned in 2015, staying only a few months before returning for good in 2017.
Overcoming obstacles from a young age, he left behind the challenges of the beginning of his career, his longing for Espírito Santo, and the difficulties of being a high-performance athlete to focus on his dream of representing Flamengo and the Brazilian National Team in the sport's most important competitions.
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.
Start rowing
I started by chance, invited by some friends in the neighborhood. My house was 18 km from the training site, so it was quite far. But that's how I got into rowing. These people invited me, I went the first day and thought it was cool, so I started going often. Sometimes I didn't have money for the bus fare, so I made do, cycling or running. I decided to row professionally when I was 16 and my father was arrested. They started to support me a lot at the club, saying that if I competed they would give me some money. I started to dedicate myself more because I knew I needed to help out at home.
Arrival at Flamengo and return to the club
I've always been a Flamengo fan, even when I was just a fan. I had a few role models, and one of them was Capi (Thiago Almeida), who was here at Flamengo. He was at the Pan American Games in Rio in 2007 and then went to Beijing in 2008. Being like him became a goal. We met at the club where I started, we talked, and he saw me in some championships. As I got older, he had more contact with me because he spent a year training in Espírito Santo and started to follow who was working harder, who was doing better. It was through him that I first arrived here in 2013, when I was in the U-23 team. Capi was the first to open the doors and believe I could be a high-level rower. I stayed at Flamengo until 2014, and in 2015 they hired me back. I trained in my home state and only came to compete, but I soon left again.
When I returned in 2017, it was also Thiago Almeida who spoke with Bruno Cotecchia (former Vice President of Rowing). He said I was a good kid and helped me get another opportunity. That was the time when Flamengo started investing more, bringing in more athletes from abroad, so that's when I arrived for the second time.
A defining moment in his career
Coming second at last year's Pan American Pre-Sports was the most important moment of my career. I fought hard to stay in the squad. Winning this medal, a first for Brazil, was surreal.
Challenges of being a high-performance athlete
The biggest challenges are the daily ones, the things people don't normally see. Everyone focuses so much on results, better times, a record. But it's the little things that add up, the daily stressors build up. This is very difficult. We have normal difficulties like anyone else; not every day is a happy day. It's difficult to arrive at training thinking about always giving your best, supporting your team. Staying 100% focused is the biggest challenge. It's your dream, not anyone else's. So you have to choose to be well and not let external things get to you.
Pan American
The main competition of the year is the Pan American Games. We're chasing a gold medal, beating all the benchmarks since January. Bernhard (Stomporowski, the Flamengo coach) himself has great faith in our team. Achieving this victory in the Lightweight Four would be unprecedented. Depending on the result, we could still go to the World Championships and, who knows, even seek a spot in the Olympics.
Preparation is very strong. No Brazilian athlete has undergone this type of training since January. Some even thought they would break down due to the pace. With just under a month to go until the Pan American Games, we're already used to it. We felt the improvement in both the First State Regatta and the Qualifying Round, which made a huge difference. We're fully prepared to face the challenges.
family support
My family is the foundation of everything. They've been the ones who've sustained me most of the time; they're the people who believed in me the most. Whenever they can, they drive just to watch the Regatta. They leave Espírito Santo on Saturday, arrive the next morning, watch the race, and then drive back. It takes 16 p.m. to watch a six-minute race, so it's a huge sacrifice just to show they're by my side. They love being there, always helping me stay focused on my dream.
Idol in sports
Ayrton Senna. From a young age, I always watched a lot of Formula 1 with my father. I ended up liking it and watched it until I was a teenager. As I grew older, I better understood this idea of what it means to be an athlete who represents the nation, of having people identify with you. Senna was an example of how an athlete should behave in society. I find that very powerful.
Hobbies
Trail, waterfall, beach, cycling. Contact with nature.
Other sports besides rowing
I'm very eclectic when it comes to sports; I love watching soccer, basketball, and volleyball. I'm also very passionate about cheering, especially for Flamengo.
Technical sheet
Name: Vangelys Reinke Pereira
Age: 28 years
Height: 1,85m
Place of Birth: Vila Velha (ES)
Main achievements: Three-time champion of the Brazilian Championship, silver in the Pre-Pan American, nine-time State champion in Espírito Santo, four-time North-Northeast Cup and two-time champion of Volta à Ilha de Vitória-ES