‘My body was not made for rhythmic gymnastics’, says retired athlete at 22

Rhythmic gymnastics athlete Déborah Medrado decided to retire at the age of 22 after numerous injuries and three surgeries. Déborah commented, in an interview with ge, about the pain in her body and the surgery she had to undergo to reduce the bones in her toes. The decision to retire took place at the end of this year.

“What made me decide to retire was the pain and injuries. I have had surgery on my knee and one on each foot. Since I joined the national team, even though we strengthen a lot and carry out preventive work, it seems that my body I wasn’t made for rhythmic gymnastics. I have the talent, the desire and the dreams, but my body doesn’t seem to help me.

In addition to Paris, Déborah represented Brazil in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic cycle. Despite always experiencing pain during her time with the team, the biggest scare was before the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics. The athlete’s feet were frequently injured due to the shape of her second toes.

The anatomy of the now former athlete’s feet made it difficult to perform basic gymnastics movements. Therefore, doctors decided that Déborah should undergo an osteotomy, a surgical procedure that involves cutting the bones to correct the alignment of the limbs. If she did not opt ​​for the procedure, she would not be able to continue training.

“They noticed that my feet had an anatomical shape that was difficult for rhythmic gymnastics. The second toe (metatarsal) was bigger than the others. We spent ten hours a day on the semi-pointe and the overload was all on that bone. They did everything so I would feel less pain. I trained in tennis. Then the choice came: either I tried to have the surgery, which was a long shot, or I left the team, because there was no way I could continue training”, he explained.