The Junior World Champion in the C1 1000m and C2 500m, and the first Brazilian female canoeist in the Olympics, now wears the Sacred Mantle! Mateus Nunes and Valdenice have signed with Flamengo and are already acclimating for Paris 2024.

Mateus Nunes, 18, from Itacaré, Bahia, is the club's newest athlete. He recently competed in the Junior Canoe Sprint World Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, and won two gold medals. The first was in the C1 1000m (a competition run by fellow Mengão athlete Isaquias Queiroz), and the C2 500m. This was Mateus's last tournament before arriving in Paris for the Olympic Games.

Valdenice Conceição arrives at Flamengo as the first athlete in history to earn an Olympic spot for Brazil in women's canoeing. At 34 years old and from Maraú, Bahia, the canoeist is now part of the FlaCanoagem squad. Valdenice, known as "Neta Canoa," qualified for the games in the C1 200m event. In April 2024, Valdenice had already established herself in the sport by becoming the first Brazilian woman to win a sprint medal at the Pan American Canoeing Games in the United States.

Mateus Nunes and Valdenice Conceição join Isaquias Queiroz and will compete in the 2024 Olympic Games as Flamengo athletes. Good luck to everyone in the competition!