After three months of confinement, Flamengo's artistic swimmers have had to reinvent themselves to continue practicing their sport away from the pool. Training at home, they try to maintain their routine, and many continue to juggle commitments with the club and the Brazilian National Team, including Jullia Catharino and Vitória Casale. Accustomed to representing the country in international competitions, the Flamengo players will face a different challenge this weekend. On Saturday (20), they face the UANA (American Swimming Union) Virtual Artistic Swimming Championship.

Jullia, in the Junior category, and Vitória, in the Senior category, were selected for the Brazilian Aquatic Sports Confederation competition after an online tryout. Despite the different format and social distancing, both teams maintain their shared desire to win. 

"I think that, even though we're not all together physically, we're together in our hearts, representing our team, our unity, and our potential. So I'll give my best for all of us and strive for the best possible result for our country," Jullia Catharino emphasized. "I've been representing the Brazilian National Team for five years in the pool, and for the first time, I have the opportunity to represent it at a time unlike any other in the world. It's certainly an honor; representing my country is always very special, even more so given our current situation. Being able to connect with different countries, athletes, and new challenges is incredible," she added. 

For Vitória Casale, it also doesn't matter that this time the competition is outside the pool. The goal, she says, is always the same.

"Every athlete, especially high-performance athletes, is competitive and always strives for their best," said the swimmer. "The feeling of representing the Brazilian National Team out of the water is as great as representing the country in an international competition, whether online or offline." 

The red-blacks also highlighted the particularities of a championship on dry land, for those who are used to spending more time in the water than out.

 "It's different, since outside, we have the ground as the basis for any movement. In the pool, we can't touch the bottom, giving us greater body awareness," Vitória commented. 

"Although we exercise out of the water, our greatest contact is actually with the water. It requires a little more concentration and precision to get everything right, always keeping our feet on the ground," said Jullia.

The winners of the UANA Virtual Artistic Swimming Championship will secure spots in the Virtual World Championships. The competition will take place on August 1st, the day before the start of the swimming competition at the Tokyo Olympic Games, which have been postponed to 2021.