August 3rd was an emotional rollercoaster for Jade Barbosa. After winning two silver medals, in the individual all-around and on the uneven bars, and two gold medals, on the vault and in the team competition, the gymnast lifted the Brazilian championship trophy with Flamengo. In the same competition, the athlete's first after returning to the club, Jade suffered a serious injury to her anterior cruciate ligament. The gymnast says she didn't immediately realize she had injured herself.

"We had been training really hard. I performed on all four apparatuses on both days of competition at the Brazilian Championships. I thought it was just fatigue, I was well trained. I heard a pop, but I didn't think it was an injury. We came back from the Brazilian Championships, I had the tests done, and the doctor (COB medical coordinator, Dr. Roberto Teixeira) suspected a problem with my cruciate ligament, so I didn't do any exercises that used my knee for a week," Jade explained.

The athlete regretted that the injury happened at the peak of her physical form and right after she realized her dream of returning to Flamengo, but remembered that precisely for the same reasons, her recovery must be the best possible.

"I listened to another doctor's opinion, but it was the same as the previous one. So we reached a consensus that surgery would be best to avoid any further problems for me. The sooner, the better. The doctor said it's difficult to give a date for my return to competition, but I'll stay as long as necessary, with the support of the Brazilian Olympic Committee, to return 100% in 2015, when I'll compete for a spot in the Olympics at the World Championships. It was good, on the one hand, that I was injured in good shape, because it will greatly help my recovery. Of course, I'm sad, but I'm sure I'll return in the same shape. I've had much worse injuries, and I didn't even know if I'd be able to return," said Jade, who is optimistic and calm about the recovery period.

At home at Mais Querido and with the full support of the Brazilian Olympic Committee, Jade feels safe and confident to turn things around and return to a high level for the final year of the Olympic cycle.

"During my recovery, I'll do strength and flexibility training, upper body training. I won't train eight hours a day as usual, but three or four hours for sure. Flamengo is my home, my family. I'm being very well looked after, I'll treat it like a forced vacation (laughs)," she concluded.


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