Flamengo will have three representatives at the 10th South American Artistic Gymnastics Championships, which will be held from August 4th to 8th in Santiago, Chile. Diego Hypolito, Gabriela Soares and Priscila Cobello travel today (July 02.07nd) with the Brazilian team and are confident of bringing good results to the country in the competition that brings together the best of the sport on the continent.

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Team champion and gold medalist on the floor and vault at last year's South American Championships, Diego Hypolito is poised to repeat his stellar performance. Last weekend (July 29th and 30th), the gymnast once again performed the movement named after his surname on the floor, demonstrating his confidence in performing more difficult movements after injuring his left ankle. This will be Diego's first appearance outside of Brazil in 2011.

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"I'll perform the floor exercise with the highest starting score of my career (16.900). The first movement will be Hypolito and the rest will be very similar to what I performed at the Natal Meeting and the Brazil Trophy in Brasília. I'll have a strong competitor ahead of me, Chilean Thomas Gonzales, a World finalist on the floor exercise and a great jumper, but I'm very confident. My two jumps also have a very high starting score (17.000 and 16.800), so I believe I have a good chance of repeating my result from last year," he said.

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Gabriela Soares believes in Brazilian favoritism, but adopts a more cautious stance.

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 "It's not a very difficult competition, and Brazil has the best chance of winning. However, I prefer not to think about medals. I'm trying to perform what I've been training for, without falls, without major mistakes. The podium, if it comes, will be a consequence," she stated. Newly arrived at Rubro-Negro, Priscila is eager to participate in her first competition since starting training at Gávea. "I'll do my best. I have a chance of winning a medal on the balance beam, which is my best apparatus, and I'll strive for it. The Brazilian team is also prepared, and I really believe in the potential of the entire group," said the gymnast who helped Brazil win the team gold medal and won bronze in the individual all-around at the 2010 championship. The South American Gymnastics Championships bring together countries like Colombia, Venezuela, and Argentina competing not only in the artistic discipline, but also in the rhythmic discipline.