UmThe gymnast who needs no introduction! After several years away from the club, Daniele Hypolito recently confirmed her return to Gávea. Discovered at the Cláudio Coutinho gymnasium in 1995, the athlete arrives to further strengthen the star-studded roster of the red-and-black artistic gymnastics team and continue her successful career, both with the Mais Querido and the Brazilian National Team.

This week's series "The Road to Flamengo" tells the story of Daniele Hypolito, who, at 35, is the most experienced Brazilian gymnast currently active. She returns to her beloved club to further enhance the Flamengo squad with her experience and talent.

Daniele Matias Hypolito
- Modality: Artistic Gymnastics
- Specialty: Beam
- Date of Birth: 08/09/1984
- Height: 1,46m
- Place of Birth: Santo André (SP)

Early career and arrival at Flamengo
The daughter of a driver and a seamstress, Daniele Hypolito was born in Santo André, São Paulo, and first encountered artistic gymnastics at SESI (Sports and Sports Research Institute) in her hometown. In 1995, the athlete arrived in Gávea to further develop her artistic skills. She received housing from the club, a school for herself and her two brothers, and a salary. Her first national competition was in 1996, when she competed in the Brazilian Youth Artistic Gymnastics Championship.  

In early 2003, the gymnast decided to move to Curitiba, where the Brazilian national team was training under Ukrainian coach Oleg Ostapenko. Daniele tried everything she could, but she couldn't adapt to the capital of Paraná and returned to Flamengo, where she remained for another year.

After coming and going, Dani Hypolito returned to Mais Querido this season to, in his words, “feel at home again” and add even more experience to the red-black team.     

Main achievements
In her first call-up to represent the Brazilian women's national team, Daniele competed in the Pan American Championships (1997) and won two gold medals on the uneven bars and floor exercise. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, she secured Brazil's best Olympic finishes to date, finishing 21st overall, 17th on the uneven bars and floor exercise, and 16th on the balance beam. The following year, at the World Championships in Ghent, Belgium, she secured Brazil's first world medal: silver on the floor exercise.

In 2003, Daniele Hypolito competed in the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, taking home two silver medals on the balance beam and uneven bars, as well as two bronze medals in the individual all-around and team finals. At the 2004 Athens Olympics, she again secured Brazil's best finishes: 9th in the team final and 12th in the individual final. Daniele also has six gold medals, seven silver medals, and two bronze medals in Pan American Championships.  

Wearing the red and black colors, Dani has collected countless medals in Brazilian and state championships, serving as a role model for younger athletes at Gávea. Now, back at the Cláudio Coutinho gymnasium, she joins Flavia Saraiva, Jade Barbosa, Lorrane Oliveira, and Rebeca Andrade on the red and black team, which is stronger than ever and ready to pursue great results for Flamengo.


The artistic gymnastics teams of Clube de Regatas do Flamengo rely on resources from their sponsors – AmBev, Rede D'or, IRB Brasil RE, CSN, Brasil Plural, EY – via the Federal Incentive Law/Ministry of Sports (IR), in addition to support from the Brazilian Committee of Clubs (CBC) resulting from the decentralization of resources originating from the Pelé Law.