“It’s very crazy! At first, my mother and father supported me. We showed our faces and had the courage to be here,” added the teenager born in Imperatriz (state of Maranhao, northeast) on January 4, 2008.
Rayssa made people talk since 2015, at just 7 years old, when dressed as the Tinkerbell fairy from Peter Pan managed to do a ‘heelflip’, one of the most difficult maneuvers with a skateboard, filmed and published on the internet.
That benefit, which earned him the nickname ‘Fadinha‘, was seen by the American Tony Hawk, considered the best skater of all time, who decided to “sponsor” her.
Since then, his progression has not stopped.
The results in Tokyo, however, mark a disappointment for Brazil, who aspired to occupy the entire podium with the young prodigy and her two friends Pamela Rosa and Letícia Bufoni.
But he must have been content with the silver, since the bronze also went to a young Japanese woman, Funa Nekayama.
The result ignited, despite everything, the social networks, with a degree of adherence that had not been seen in Brazil for a long time. The soccer team itself was ignored, if not criticized, during the recent Copa América, which took place in Brazil despite the pandemic, which has already killed more than half a million people in the country.
“How exciting, how beautiful, congratulations Empress of Maranhao, congratulations ‘fairy’, your little pile of pirilim-pimpim [el polvo mágico esparcido por Campanita] He made many Brazilians proud and rescued our flag! “, the popular singer Xuxa tweeted.
Xuxa targeted the government of Jair Bolsonaro, criticized for its questions about the effectiveness of the use of masks and vaccination against the covid.
Rayssa “is not from this denialist government and so many other disgusting things. The flag is yours, it is ours! Congratulations!” He wrote.
Some considerations that did not prevent deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of the far-right president, from highlighting the achievement of Brazilian skateboarding, which on Sunday had its first silver medal thanks to Kelvin Hoefler.
“Brazilian skateboarding continues to thrill in the first Olympics of this sport. Another example for those who believe in sport as a way of life and national pride,” he wrote.
“Congratulations, Fadinha“, the Lula Institute, of the former left-wing president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, tweeted.