Brazil: The Great Injury Post

After a considerable period of time during which all eyes were on the Rio de Janeiro gymnasts, the Brazilian press is finally paying some attention again to the São Paulo girls, Daiane dos Santos and Laís Souza, both of whom are recovering from surgical interventions.

Daiane dos Santos underwent osteotomy at the end of October 2008 to realign the bones of her right leg. According to an October 21 Globoesporte article, Daiane had become so knock-kneed that she needed surgery to straighten her leg. At the time, her doctor, orthopedic specialist Wagner Castropil, explained that he was going to make a ten-degree (!) correction to Daiane's right knee, using a titanium plate. He predicted the athlete would be able to jump again within six months. After the operation, Daiane (who intends to go on competing until the 2012 Olympics, when she will be 29) jokingly said that she was going to use the time away from the gym to find "the best floor exercise music ever."


Daiane dos Santos watches as her doctor explains at a press conference what he is going to do to her knee (photo: Agencia Estado/Globoesporte)

For her part, Laís Souza underwent arthroscopy (a relatively minor procedure) in late October to remove some cartilage from her right knee. She was expected to be out of action for two months at most. However, we guess her recovery wasn't as straightforward as expected, because three months onward, Laís is calling the situation "complicated" and seems pessimistic about her chances of taking part in the World Championships in October. Sounds like something didn't go completely according to plan there...

Anyhow, UOL Esporte caught up with the two girls last week. Here's a translation of the story, which also features a tidbit on Jade Barbosa's competitive plans for the new year.

Daiane speeds up recovery and "boycotts" the first half of the year to be able to take part in the World Championships

Daiane dos Santos is engaged in a race against a clock to recover from the surgery carried out at the end of last year and to take part in the World Championships in London, in October. In order to be able to compete in high-level competitions [later on in the year], the gymnast from Rio Grande do Sul has decided not to take part in any competitions in the first half of 2009. Now aged 25, Daiane still hopes to be a contender for a podium place at the English competition.

"I'm following all the medical recommendations I've been given and I'm taking care of the physical side of things," said the gymnast. "Even though I can't run and engage in many aerobic activities because of my knee, I'm trying not to gain too much weight." Staying away from competitions for the time being, Daiane will skip at least six World Cup competitions.


Daiane holding her troublesome right knee

At the end of 2008, Daiane underwent osteotomy in her right knee, a surgical procedure aimed at correcting skeletal deformities. It was Daiane's fourth knee operation. In 2001, the gymnast was operated on the patellar tendon of her left knee. In 2003, just weeks before the Pan-American Games in Santo Domingo, Daiane underwent arthroscopy in her right knee. The third operation took place in June 2004, in the runup to the Athens Olympics, when the athlete once more had a piece of cartilage removed from her right knee.

Despite the fact that she has not competed since the Beijing Olympics, Daiane still weighs about 41 kilograms, the same weight she had in China. The gymnast finished sixth on floor and was part of the first Brazilian team to make an Olympic gymnastics final. Before the Games, Daiane was considering retiring in 2009. However, she now believes she will be able to obtain better results in London. The 2003 world champion on floor did not manage to qualify for the final on her best event at the last world championships, held in Stuttgart, Germany. Even so, she is confident. "I feel I can still do a better job. If I didn't feel that way, I wouldn't compete," she stated.

Although she prioritizes floor, Daiane has not been able to train on that apparatus since undergoing her most recent surgery. For the time being, the gymnast uses the equipment at Pinheiros, the São Paulo club where she trains, only to work out on the uneven bars. However, she is not risking any landings. "[Bars] is an event where you don't have to put any strain on your knees. It's the only event I can do at the moment. But in the second half of the year I will be ready to work on my floor exercise," she said.


Pinheiros teammates Laís Souza and Daiane dos Santos (photo: Globoesporte)

Laís Souza, who, like Daiane, trains at Pinheiros, is not quite so optimistic about the World Championships anymore. She, too, is recovering from surgery on her right knee. Last year she had some pieces of cartilage removed from her knee, and now she is trying to recover.

"It's complicated. I only have limited time to get back in shape, and I don't want to go to London just to participate. Right now I don't want to give a prognosis. We'll wait and see how I'm doing in October," said the gymnast.

The women's team has not yet been named by the Brazilian Gymnastics Federation, but Laís is not the only uncertain case on the team. Jade Barbosa, who suffers from a rare condition called necrosis in her capitate bone, which causes bad blood circulation in her central bone, does not know either whether she will be in a position to compete in London.

In the event that [Jade] is not 100 percent ready for the competition, it is possible that she will only do beam, which will not require her to put a great strain on her injured hand. Daniele Hypólito is the only one of the stars of the team who is in good shape. The rest of the team will be determined by means of a selection camp whose date has not yet been established.

And finally, there's this bit of news, from another source...

Up-and-coming star Juliana Santos, an elegant gymnast who recently represented Brazil at the Arthur Gander Memorial and the Swiss Cup, is recovering from the shoulder surgery she had at the end of last year to cure the repetitive strain injury from which she had been suffering ever since March 2008. According to her coach, Adriana Alves, Santos is expected to be back in full training by the end of April. "The stitches have been removed and she's using a sling. She has begun training without the use of her arms, doing exercises for her lower limbs," Alves was quoted as saying by the site of Santos's club, Grêmio of Porto Alegre.


Juliana Santos (photo: Stefan Wurzer/Gymnasticsunited)

And Now for a Brazilian Scandal...

Perhaps we like our scandals a bit too much, but however that may be, we think 2008 has been a stellar year for coaching scandals.

The first scandal to be reported (albeit sketchily) was that surrounding Holland's Esther Heijnen, who used to coach both Verona van de Leur and Suzanne Harmes. Half a year ago, Heijnen was fired by her club following allegations by some of her lesser-known gymnasts that she had ignored them in favor of her more famous stars and encouraged them to develop eating disorders. Harmes and Van de Leur stood by Heijnen, who later got a job at a newly established club, taking Harmes with her. It's unclear whether the case resulted in any legal steps being taken, but it was obviously a very acrimonious affair.

Then, across the Atlantic, Ivana Hong did her damnedest to ruin Al Fong's already checkered career. That story is still ongoing, and we're following it with great interest.

Now the Brazilian gymnastics world is reeling from a coaching scandal involving three of the country's most famous female gymnasts: Jade Barbosa, Daiane dos Santos, and Laís Souza.


Jade Barbosa (photo: Reuters)

According to Gymblog Brasil, Barbosa, Dos Santos, and Souza claimed after the Olympics that the coaches at the national training center in Curitiba had forced them to train until they were exhausted and ignored their medical complaints.

Jade Barbosa's father and agent, Cesar Barbosa, confirmed at the beginning of September that his daughter was injured when she competed in Beijing. She was suffering from an injury to her right hand, osteonecrosis, which prevented her from completely flexing and extending her fingers. According to the Brazilian newspaper, Diario de Sao Paulo, Mr Barbosa was considering suing the Brazilian Gymnastics Federation for letting his daughter compete with a serious injury.

Daiane dos Santos and Laís Souza then went on record as supporting Barbosa's allegations, saying that they too had been nursing injuries when taking part in the Olympics. Moreover, they disclosed that the athletes' daily calorie intake at the national training center had not exceeded 800, a ridiculously low amount for athletes who train several hours a day.


Daiane dos Santos

Following an investigation by UOL Esporte (an online sports magazine) last month, two former gymnasts, Roberta Monari and Maíra dos Santos Silva, stepped forward to join in the chorus. They claimed that not only had their injuries been ignored at Curitiba, but they had been forbidden to drink water during training and been humiliated by the coaches. Dos Santos Silva claimed that she had suffered ill treatment and humiliation at the hands of the national team coaches, as well as at the hands of the supervisor of the Brazilian Gymnastics Federation, Ms. Eliane Martins.

Last Thursday, Ms. Martins herself allegedly told the Diario de Sao Paulo that she would sue the girls for defamation and that they would have to back up their claims in court. "It's easy to say things," Martins was quoted as saying by the newspaper. "We'll see how well these claims stand up when the girls are called to justice."

According to the Diario article, the Federation's lawsuit would only involve the three gymnasts who had said they weren't fit enough to compete in Beijing. "We won't say whether it's true or not," Martins was quoted as saying. "We only want evidence. It's a legal process and we're not going to discuss it in the media."

The next day, Daiane dos Santos and Laís Souza downplayed the threat of being sued by Martins. The two athletes said they didn't believe the Federation would take the case to court. Furthermore, they didn't think their own statements had been particularly offensive.

Laís Souza said it was perfectly obvious that she wasn't in great shape at the time of the Olympics, as she had just had surgery a few weeks previously to remove cartilage from her knee.

"I don't see why she [Eliane Martins] should adopt this attitude," said Souza. "All athletes compete injured. I often say that the day I wake up without feeling any pain is the day I'm dead. I competed with an injury and I was aware of it. I wasn't accusing anyone. Now if she chooses to take it that way and sue me, that's her choice, but I'm sure the case won't go anywhere," said Souza.


Lais Souza (photo: Reuters)

For her part, Daiane dos Santos said that she could easily prove that she was injured at the time of the Olympics. Dos Santos underwent surgery at the end of last month. She had an osteotomy to correct deformities in her spine. It was her third such operation.

When contacted by UOL Esporte, Daiane dos Santos's lawyer said he attached no importance to Eliane Martins's threats. "I doubt she can win a case like this. If the Federation wants to sue Daiane, they'll have to prove she wasn't injured. It's the Federation who will have to present evidence, not Daiane," said Dos Santos's lawyer.

By now the Brazilian Gymnastics Federation has denied that it plans to sue Barbosa, Souza, and Dos Santos. In an official statement released in the Diario de Sao Paulo last Saturday, the Federation denies that Eliane Martins ever threatened to sue any gymnasts or former gymnasts. The Federation's statement reads as follows: "By means of this statement, the Brazilian Gymnastics Federation wishes to declare publicly that the information released by certain media last Friday (November 7, 2008) regarding the gymnasts Jade Barbosa, Daiane dos Santos, and Laís Souza is incorrect. Eliane Martins never mentioned that she would sue the above-mentioned athletes in the interview granted last Thursday (November 6, 2008) to the Diario de Sao Paulo, which has now been reprinted by other media. The Federation has not taken legal action against any gymnast or former gymnast, nor does it intend to do so."

It's still an awful lot of bad press for the Brazilian Gymnastics Federation.