Brazilian indigenous canoers eyeing Olympic glory
August 18, 2021
3:03 PM CDT
Last Updated 4 hours ago
By Bruno Kelly
3 minute read
TRES UNIDOS, Brazil, Aug 18 (Reuters) - For Amazonian children who grew up on the water with oars in their hands, a new hero and a new opportunity have spurred Olympic dreams.
Brazilian Isaquias Queiroz dos Santos won a gold medal at the Japan Olympics in the C-1 1000 meters event.
His success – he also won two silvers and a bronze at the Rio Olympics in 2016 – has inspired dozens of children to take up competitive canoeing in Tres Unidos, an indigenous community on the Amazonian river Cuieiras.
“He is such a great rower, he motivates me to row every day,” said 17-year-old Tailo Pontes de Araujo. “My dream is to take part in the Olympics and win medals.”
Tailo is one of around 60 youngsters as young as seven who have enrolled in a project called Canoagem Indigena, or Indigenous Canoeing, a partnership between the NGO Fundacao Amazonia Sustentavel and the Brazilian Canoeing Confederation.
More:
https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/brazilian-indigenous-canoers-eyeing-olympic-glory-2021-08-18/
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(Green canoe, green uniform)