Eight-time X Games champion between the end of the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s, São Paulo skater Fabiola da Silva, at 45 years old, continues to be active, participating in competitions and exhibitions in Brazil and other countries.
With the shelf full of trophies and medals, competing on the tracks is no longer the only priority.
Now, she divides her time between training and competing in roller skating and crossfit — a passion she has cultivated for more than a decade — and classes at a school dedicated to the sport that made her famous, located in Bom Retiro, in the central region of São Paulo. Paul.
Fabiola opened Fábrica dos Sonhos about two years ago, together with her sister, Fabiana, with the aim of transmitting to children and adults some of the experience she acquired over her more than three decades on training wheels.
“I realized how transformative sport is in people’s lives. And I thought that, if God gave me such a wonderful gift, which allowed me to travel the world and meet and inspire people, why not pass this knowledge on to the new generation?” Fabiola told Sheet.
Children aged four and over can have an adventure on the narrow wooden track, full of obstacles. There are also parents among the students who were excited to take their children and people in their 60s.
“If I can help through sport, that’s what I’m going to do. I enjoy it. There’s no money that can pay for a child’s smile.”
On social media, Fabiola often shares videos of CrossFit classes, competitions and training, which completely transformed the physique of the slight 17-year-old teenager who stunned the world by winning her first X Games title, known as “the Olympics of sports radicals”, in 1996.
Her dominance among women was so great that, at her peak, she even competed against men, achieving the silver medal in 2004. It was at this time that the skater began to focus more on physical preparation, in order to reduce her advantage. of competitors in this regard. “I gave them a lot of work. And I was never discriminated against. On the contrary.”
The habit has never been abandoned since then, and today CrossFit helps with the necessary muscle strengthening for the body to withstand the harsh landings on skates.
Brazilian and South American champion in 2023, Fabiola was practically out of action last year, due to a serious knee injury and a bacterial infection in her bloodstream. Little by little, he has been alternating classes with training to return to competitions.
She is a scholarship holder of the Talento Esportivo Program, from the government of São Paulo, for which she receives a monthly stipend of around R$2,000. On the other hand, you need to be active in competitions to keep the scholarship. She is awaiting the definition of the calendar to define the tournaments she will participate in in the coming months.
“Being an athlete is very difficult in Brazil. If I get hurt, who will pay my bills? Will I leave the students in the lurch? I’m strategic, I won’t participate in anything. I like competing, but that’s not all I have in mind”, he stated.
She said that, despite the series of achievements over the last few years, she has to live with the lack of due recognition in Brazil.
“A person is only remembered when they are at their peak. Afterwards, they are forgotten”, said the athlete, who opened the school in Bom Retiro with her family’s own resources, without external financial support. She herself painted the facade of the space, which was previously an abandoned factory. “There is still a long way to go to better value the athletes that the country has in other sports, not just football.”
Fabiola stated that she tries not to discourage young people who arrive at school with the dream of one day also becoming professionals, but always highlights the importance of studies to have alternatives besides sport.
“You have to have your feet on the ground, a plan B, because it’s difficult,” said she, who only won at the end of last year, after a well-established successful career, a model of roller skates made in her honor.
“I’m not attached to material goods, because we won’t take anything from here. I’m not looking for luxury, wealth. I want to leave good seeds in people’s lives. The greatest wealth for me is being at peace and being able to help others.”
