Gabrieli Pessanha recently became the first athlete in Brazilian history to join the Brazilian Air Force because of Jiu-Jitsu. This not only fills me with pride, but also opens doors for many other athletes.
She began training at the age of 11 in a social project in Cidade de Deus, coordinated by professor Márcio de Deus. I myself have great affection for her, and that’s why this news makes me happy and emotional at the same time.
The beginning of a dream
As I anticipated, Gabi, as I like to affectionately call her, started training very early, at just 11 years old, and quickly stood out.
In 2015 she made her first international trip to compete. That’s where she fought in Pan Kids and became champion. From then on, her career began to look very promising.
She became a professional, and became world, Brazilian, South American, Pan American champion, in short, she won titles after titles.
This was the result of a great effort on her part, accompanied by talent, and also the commitment of Professor Márcio de Deus who was her true tutor.
Humble origins and desire to win
Gabi comes from a family of three children, has always been a resident of Cidade de Deus, and I had the pleasure of meeting this special person through Márcio’s project.
She is a 6-time IBJJF (International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation) world champion at black belt, in addition to being world champion at blue, purple and brown belt. Not to mention the number of other titles she has already won.
This successful trajectory at a young age led to her receiving an invitation from the Brazilian Air Force to join the high-performance team of athletes.
A historic milestone for Jiu-Jitsu
To give you an idea, this is the first time in Brazilian history that a Jiu-Jitsu athlete is part of a high-performance program of the Brazilian Armed Forces.
She becomes the first sergeant black belt Jiu-Jitsu athlete in the Brazilian Air Force. And this will certainly open doors for many other athletes.
Today Gabrieli is 23 years old, and in addition to being an athlete, she is an entrepreneur, owns some businesses, and manages to help her entire family.
Therefore, I can say that she is a reference not only at the TMD House institute in Cidade de Deus, which she is part of, but also at an international level.
It is important to say that this project is already over 16 years old and with her influence it should grow even further.
That’s why Gabi makes me proud, and I wrote these words with teary eyes knowing that I managed to contribute a little to her growth.
