Flávia Saraiva is presented at the Cláudio Coutinho gymnasium
The athlete was welcomed in Gávea by the club's board of directors, teammates and president Eduardo Bandeira de Mello
By Communication - Official Club Website - in
This Tuesday (22) marked another step in the reformulation of Flamengo's Olympic sports. The renovated Cláudio Coutinho gymnasium was the stage for the presentation of Flávia Saraiva, the remarkable little 1,33m tall who is today one of the biggest promises of the sport in the country. Flávia was welcomed by the club's board of directors, her training partners, and Flamengo's president, Eduardo Bandeira de Mello.
"It's a great pleasure to be here. We're gathered for two purposes: first, to honor the great Flamengo fan who gives this gym its name, who for me is the best coach in Flamengo's history and is represented here by his children. Furthermore, we'll welcome an exceptional reinforcement for Olympic sports: Flávia Saraiva," the president opened, followed by the vice president of Olympic Sports, Alexandre Póvoa, who also spoke about the tribute to the coach who gives the gym its name.
"The coach who started a historic era of achievements and created the foundation of the Flamengo World Cup champion. Today the gym is close to living up to the legacy of Cláudio Coutinho, who unfortunately left us prematurely. Today, this is Flamengo's best gym in terms of structure and equipment," said Póvoa, before calling the red-and-black coach's children, Claudia and Paulo César, to receive the Sacred Mantle personalized with the name of the great coach.
Athlete presentation
Jade Barbosa, who, like almost the entire red-black team, is already Flávia's teammate on the Brazilian National Team, was responsible for handing over the club's shirt to Flamengo's new gymnast, who spoke about what it's like to be back alongside the athletes she already trains with on Team Brazil.
"They give us a lot of strength, we train a lot. Since we're already together on the national team, it won't change much in our routine. God willing, I'll be able to bring the Olympic medal and put my name on the wall (there are plaques in the Cláudio Coutinho gymnasium honoring the red-and-black athletes who represented Flamengo in Olympic and world championship victories). I'm very happy. At the Youth Games (2014), I could already imagine that I could have the chance to be in the Olympics, but I didn't imagine being at a big club like Flamengo," said Flavinha.
At the event, the gymnast treated everyone to a floor performance, under the watchful eyes of the younger gymnasts, students and athletes, who train in Gávea. Click here and check out the image gallery.
Another star in a top team
At just 16 years old, Flávia is the newest addition to the red-and-black artistic gymnastics team. After months of negotiations, the 2015 Pan American Games and 2014 Youth Olympic Games medalist arrived at Mais Querido to bolster the squad, which already boasts heavyweights such as Jade Barbosa, Rebeca Andrade, Julie Kim, Letícia Costa, Milena Theodoro, Maria Cecília Cruz, Thauany Araújo, and Isabelle Cristina. The gymnast's contract runs until December 31, 2016.
In February of this year, the 16-year-old won two gold medals at the Baku World Cup, as well as a bronze medal on the parallel bars. Last weekend (19th and 20th), Flavinha was with her teammates Jade and Rebeca in Italy for the Trofeo Città di Jesolo. For the gymnast, the next big challenge is to qualify for Rio 2016 at the test event in April.
"It's a great pleasure to be here. We're gathered for two purposes: first, to honor the great Flamengo fan who gives this gym its name, who for me is the best coach in Flamengo's history and is represented here by his children. Furthermore, we'll welcome an exceptional reinforcement for Olympic sports: Flávia Saraiva," the president opened, followed by the vice president of Olympic Sports, Alexandre Póvoa, who also spoke about the tribute to the coach who gives the gym its name.
"The coach who started a historic era of achievements and created the foundation of the Flamengo World Cup champion. Today the gym is close to living up to the legacy of Cláudio Coutinho, who unfortunately left us prematurely. Today, this is Flamengo's best gym in terms of structure and equipment," said Póvoa, before calling the red-and-black coach's children, Claudia and Paulo César, to receive the Sacred Mantle personalized with the name of the great coach.
Athlete presentation
Jade Barbosa, who, like almost the entire red-black team, is already Flávia's teammate on the Brazilian National Team, was responsible for handing over the club's shirt to Flamengo's new gymnast, who spoke about what it's like to be back alongside the athletes she already trains with on Team Brazil.
"They give us a lot of strength, we train a lot. Since we're already together on the national team, it won't change much in our routine. God willing, I'll be able to bring the Olympic medal and put my name on the wall (there are plaques in the Cláudio Coutinho gymnasium honoring the red-and-black athletes who represented Flamengo in Olympic and world championship victories). I'm very happy. At the Youth Games (2014), I could already imagine that I could have the chance to be in the Olympics, but I didn't imagine being at a big club like Flamengo," said Flavinha.
At the event, the gymnast treated everyone to a floor performance, under the watchful eyes of the younger gymnasts, students and athletes, who train in Gávea. Click here and check out the image gallery.
Another star in a top teamAt just 16 years old, Flávia is the newest addition to the red-and-black artistic gymnastics team. After months of negotiations, the 2015 Pan American Games and 2014 Youth Olympic Games medalist arrived at Mais Querido to bolster the squad, which already boasts heavyweights such as Jade Barbosa, Rebeca Andrade, Julie Kim, Letícia Costa, Milena Theodoro, Maria Cecília Cruz, Thauany Araújo, and Isabelle Cristina. The gymnast's contract runs until December 31, 2016.
In February of this year, the 16-year-old won two gold medals at the Baku World Cup, as well as a bronze medal on the parallel bars. Last weekend (19th and 20th), Flavinha was with her teammates Jade and Rebeca in Italy for the Trofeo Città di Jesolo. For the gymnast, the next big challenge is to qualify for Rio 2016 at the test event in April.