In one year, Jade Barbosa experienced a lot of pain and doubts. The serious injury to her right wrist, which prevented her from competing after the Beijing Olympics, also accelerated the maturation process of the then 17-year-old, considered the most promising talent in women's gymnastics in the country. After considering giving up, she decided to trade tears for hard work and achieved two important victories: she returned to the permanent national team and was crowned Brazilian floor champion last month. But she learned to take one day at a time and avoid making long-term plans.

"I thought about quitting several times during that period. I'd go to training and not be able to do anything. It was really bad watching everyone in the gym training. I even went a week without going to Flamengo. But my father, my psychologist, and my friends wouldn't let me give up. I started psychological treatment because I had some trauma from my time training in Curitiba. I'm much better. If I'm here today, it's because I have a team behind me. I know I won't get better from this injury because it's incurable. From now on, I just have to stick it out," he said.

She has it and wants it. If the pain has eased, Jade takes the opportunity to resume doing exercises she couldn't do before. Although her wrist is responding well, she's cautiously avoiding rushing the recovery process.

"I was quite nervous when I returned to competition, but I had nothing to lose. I was very happy, but I'm not satisfied. I'm coming back slowly, taking it easy. I want to do well at next year's World Championships and plan to dedicate myself fully to gymnastics."

The 2009 season was also marked by financial problems. Without sponsorship and with unpaid salaries at Flamengo, Jade relied on the solidarity of anonymous supporters, touched by her plight, to continue her treatment. She also launched a campaign on her website to raise money by selling jerseys. She's grateful to everyone who helped her, but since July, things have gotten brighter. She secured a sponsorship from a bank, and the Gávea club began paying off its debt. Jade's smile returned.

"Things have improved now, and I think investment will be greater because of the 2016 Rio Olympics. I received help from some people, but the support from the public was and still is very important. This has been a very difficult year for me. I had a very serious injury that could have taken me out of gymnastics, and it shocked me. I thought it would all end like this. I waited, listened to the doctors, and it took a lot of willpower to be able to return. Some people think I'm more mature after all this. In 2010, I just want to be healthy and compete again. I hope it's a good year and that everything goes well.