No Diário de Bordas #26, a atleta Juliana Veloso conta como foi participar da Rio 2016, sua quinta Olimpíada. Diário de Bordas …
Diário de Bordas #26 – Juliana Veloso na RIO2016
19.721 DIARIES FROM THE EDGE
19.721 RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
19.721 When we arrive
at the Village, it hits us.
19.721 "It has begun."
19.721 Our training is dialed down
19.721 and there are
plenty of opportunities
19.721 because we end up
with a lot of free time.
19.721 Opportunities for any of us
to slack off on our training
19.721 and opportunities to eat crap.
19.721 So yeah, we have
to stay focused.
19.721 I didn't show up
in peak shape, to be sure,
19.721 but I definitely did my best.
19.721 I gave all I could
in that timeframe.
19.721 That first dive I missed,
the 3.5 front somersault,
19.721 I didn't hit it a single time.
19.721 From the time
I arrived at the Village,
19.721 thinking how sweet it was
to train there,
19.721 I didn't hit that dive
a single time.
19.721 Actually, I hit it once.
19.721 Precisely at the event,
paired up with Tammy.
19.721 I had purple bruises
all over my legs.
19.721 I couldn't do it
in pike position
19.721 so I switched it
to tuck position
19.721 or to another dive altogether.
19.721 I was in no condition
to hit that dive.
19.721 I wasn't upset
that I missed that one.
19.721 It was poor from the get-go.
19.721 I did my best.
19.721 It wasn't a matter
of fumbling my hurdle.
19.721 I truly did the best I could.
19.721 Maybe if I'd held back
a bit longer on the come-out
19.721 I could've finished
a little bit better,
19.721 but I wasn't upset
about missing that one.
19.721 I was upset that we missed
the last dive,
19.721 which I tend to execute
super well.
19.721 The reverse 2.5 somersault.
19.721 However, with the miss
on the earlier dive,
19.721 I knew it would be tough
to make the top 18,
19.721 so I was already
unmotivated by then.
19.721 I hit my hurdle
and missed the ideal spot.
19.721 Given that, I pulled off
a minor miracle
19.721 because with the way
I hit the edge,
19.721 very few people
would've managed
19.721 to finish the dive like I did.
19.721 That finish was good enough
for a 5.0 to 5.5,
19.721 but I'm capable of getting
an 8.5 to 9.0 on that dive.
19.721 So I took lemons
and made lemonade.
19.721 Juliana Veloso's series
19.721 was good enough
to put her in the running.
19.721 To go toe-to-toe
with the rest.
19.721 After the World Cup,
19.721 Juliana's results
had given me high hopes.
19.721 "We can fight for a spot
in the Olympic final," I said.
19.721 She had a great performance
in the qualifying round
19.721 and didn't make it through,
19.721 but it was a good
individual showing for her.
19.721 We had high expectations
along those lines,
19.721 but it didn't happen.
19.721 She didn't do so well
19.721 and struggled with
the forward 3.5 somersault,
19.721 which she'd hit very well
in the synchronized event,
19.721 but couldn't replicate that
in the individual event
19.721 and that
brought her score down.
19.721 Right after wrapping up
my Olympic participation,
19.721 I flew back home
19.721 because I was dying
to be with my family.
19.721 I missed the kids so much.
19.721 Even though my performance
was far from my best,
19.721 I got a lot out of it,
and I had fun.
19.721 I savored the crowd's support
19.721 and managed to do my best
at that given moment.
19.721 Though it wasn't
my absolute best,
19.721 I tried,
and I fought tooth and nail.
19.721 Of course I'd have liked
to have done better,
19.721 but I enjoyed myself.
19.721 I looked at the stands
and thought:
19.721 "Man, enjoy it 'cause this
is once-in-a-lifetime."
19.721 I did manage to have fun.
19.721 WOMEN'S INDIVIDUAL
3-METER SPRINGBOARD
19.721 JULIANA VELOSO: 27TH PLACE
