Rafael Success Story.

Rafael is a jiu-jitsu athlete.

A short introduction to yourself?
My name is Rafael, I’m 19 years old. I was born in Porto Alegre, Brazil and I’m a Blue belt in the Mário Reis alliance team.

How did you develop your fondness for your sport and at what age did you start learning?
I started in jiu-jitsu because of a friend of mine, I was 14 years old at the time. Since then I’ve been very in love and couldn’t stop practising nowadays I live in the gym and I’m an athlete at the Mário Reis alliance gym.

Do you have a favourite Sensei?
Yes, my Sensei Mario Reis.

How did you get into this position and how did your journey in this sport go?
I currently occupy the 7th position in the IBJJF lightweight ranking, having fought only 2 events. But my journey is just beginning.

Do you take sports as a profession or is it just a hobby?
I see jiu-jitsu as a professional sport and I do things to make it my profession. I live at the gym. In other words. I breathe jiu-jitsu.

What challenges have you faced in getting to where you are now? You can also share any injury story.
My biggest challenge before living in the gym was when I had to take 4 buses a day and walk a lot with heavy backpacks until I got to the CT. This was stressful because I was already tired to train. But I’ve never had serious problems with injuries, just everyday injuries that every high-level athlete has. But that doesn’t stop me from training.

What motivates you most about your profession as an athlete?
What motivates me most is the fact that I know that there are still many people who do not believe that I will become an exponent athlete in the sport and that makes me prove with results that by working hard and believing in your dreams, you can get anywhere.
                    

Do you have anything you want everyone to learn?
I always like to value the basic values of life, such as humility, respecting my training colleague, and believing that it is possible.

What tournament or match you have won are you most proud of and why?
It was in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Brazilian championship that I fought an opponent that I had already lost once and when I entered to fight him I knew that one of the two of us was going home without a medal, that’s what made me fight with all my might and finish him. This struggle was the one that made me see my real value and my ability to overcome.

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