Interview with Vanessa Chefer Spinola, Brazilian heptathlete
« I never had an idol, my mum was my inspiration. She work as police officer, she ran a marathon and she used to run and train a lot. I remember I used to go to follow her training after school and run next to her and the other police officers. I was only 7 years old, and I realised I loved it!».
Since that day Vanessa never stopped running and progressing as an athlete, becoming a confirmed heptathlete in Brazil and South America and dreaming about participating in the Olympic Games one day. And guess what? She made it, her dream became a reality, and she participated in Rio 2016.
“It wasn’t easy – says Vanessa – but I had the support of one of the best coach, my family and my friends, and all the pain, the anger and sweat was definitely worth it. I wouldn’t achieve it without the help, the encouragment and support of all of them. The day I entered the stadium in Rio was one of the best days in my life“.
Vanessa grew up in São Paulo, studied PE at University, and trained 4 hours per day, 6 days a week. After moving her first steps on the track next to her mum, she joined a club when she was 11 years old, and she discovered that athletics was more than just running “Here in Brazil people like to run, especially marathons, so I worked really hard on my endurance together with my mum, but once I joined the athletics club I discovered there was much more, many other disciplines. This is the main reason why I decided, supported by my coach, to start training and participating in combined competition such as heptathlon. I could run fast, I loved the long jumps, and I enjoyed the challenges of the shot put or pole vault”. Vanessa participated in the Brazilian Championship for the under 15 and won a silver medal. “I remember I thought…wow…this is amazing, how much I can reach with a little training. I loved the feeling of achieving a good result and the idea of winning a medal”. This was just the beginning.
“I have to admit I was very lucky. Growing up I had the support of my family, access to education and the possibility of training on tracks, even if the standard was very low compared to the American or Canadian ones. I felt “protected”, I wasn’t missing anything. Being gay wasn’t a problem and everyone around me was supportive and helpful. After the first records and achievements I have started receiving a government scholarship for athletes1. It was amazing for a teenager to receive compensation for the effort, a monetary recognition for the progress in national and international competitions“.
Something changed in 2012. Brazil won 17 medals at London Olympic Games, two more than its previous best in Beijing, finishing 22nd in the overall count. With only three golds and a general shortage of medals on the athletics tracks, the Brazilian Athletics Confederation decided to focus more on individual events, and athletes, in order to raise the chances of winning more medals at Rio 2016. Brazil had a plan of spending $700m over the following four years on high performance athlete alone, and investing more on trainers, international competition and infrastructures.
That’s when Vanessa met Oleg, the Ukranian coach. A sixty year old man, that competed in the Soviet Union and had a very strict discipline. A man from a different culture, with a different approach and a difficulty in accepting and understanding gay people.
“He really pushed me hard, he made me work on my anger, and told me that if I wanted to participate in the Olympics I had to gave up on a lot of things in my life, in order to achieve great results. It was never enough for him, he would always push me out of my comfort zone. And then the results started coming and I have realised that all the anger and frustration he was taking out of me I was investing it on the track. To prove him that I could make it, despite of my sexual orientation or beliefs. It was really hard and difficult at the beginning because I was used to the positive approach of my family and friends, no one ever judged me“.
Vanessa won the gold medal at the South American under 23 Championships in 2012 but an injury to her knee changed everything. She stayed out of the track from more than 6 months and lost almost 10 kg in the first days after her surgery. But she came back stronger than before, and won the gold medal at the Ibero-American Championships in 2014. “I was depressed but I didn’t give up. This experience made me much stronger and more aware of my dream”. With the bronze medal at the Pan American Games in 2015 and the experience of the World Championships in Beijing she was ready for the Olympics.
The day came, and all her family was there to support and celebrate her. Even if she didn’t win it was an incredible experience “If it wasn’t for Oleg, my coach, I would never made it. We shared a rough path, but it was worth it”.
After the Olympic Games the Brazial Athletics Confederation decided to cut again the funding and Oleg went back to Ukraine. “So I started training alone. Then in 2017 my wife was transferred to Poland, and we moved to Europe. Life in Poland, as a gay couple, wasn’t easy. The government wouldn’t even allow me to get a spouse visa because they didn’t recognize our marriage, and we couldn’t live our lives freely like we were used to in Brazil. I kept in touch with Oleg and went to Ukraine to train with him for a whole month in 2018 and 2019, and continued participating in sports events all over the world, but something started changing”.
Being an athlete gave Vanessa the opportunity to compete in different competitions, at home and abroad, explore new countries and cultures, and see one of her biggest dream become a reality. Now, after 19 years on the tracks it’s time for a new chapter “I wanted to participate in Tokyo 2020 but I wasn’t ready enough, and COVID-19 changed the cards on the table. Probably next year will be the last of my career as an athlete. I am currently studying to become a Personal Trainer and I want to share my passion for sports with other people, inspire them and help them to be healthy and fit“.
1The Brazilian government established the Athlete Scholarship Program, by Law n.10.891/2004, aiming to contribute for athletes economical support, development and permanence in sportsand to renew the Brazilian representation in national and international competitive events.
