A gymnast for Clube de Regatas do Flamengo since 2003, 14-year-old Letícia Costa is the newest member of the Brazilian artistic gymnastics team.

In evaluations carried out last week in Curitiba, headquarters of the Brazilian Confederation of the sport, Letícia Costa impressed the technical committee that analyzed the performance of the gymnasts in their respective series.

After the evaluation, CBG coordinator Geogertte Vidor and head coach Iryna Ilyashenko announced the composition of the new team. Once again, the CRF has two gymnasts on the Brazilian team. Jade Barbosa, who was also part of the select group until she injured her right wrist in 2008, did not participate in the evaluations. However, there is still one spot on the current Brazilian team.

Letícia, who has been training at Gávea for six years, four under the technical command of Ricardo Pereira, has been improving significantly and has already secured an excellent result for the Brazilian national team, such as 4th place in the Individual All-Around at the 2008 South American Championships.

- "I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. It's the beginning of a dream that's coming true."

The newest member of the Brazilian national team will compete on all four apparatuses (floor, beam, bars, and vault) at the Brazilian Gymnastics Championships, which will take place from August 21st to 23rd in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul. The gymnast will be joined by her club teammates, Jade Barbosa and Daniele Hypolito.