The steps of B-girl Vanessa, pioneer of breaking in Portugal, for a place in the Games in a legacy beyond sport

Representation and work to include women in sport

In the roll call of the great battles of breaking around the world, it is very easy to find the name of the B-girl Vanessa. Just look for the Portuguese flag in front of it, very different from the others. A detail that makes her not only an “ambassador” of the country, but representative of all Portuguese women.

She is already thinking about the next generations and the future of breaking in Portugal. She wants to provide those in front of her with precisely what she didn’t have, without having to go through situations that could have been avoided. In a context where there was a greater male presence, she discovered the sport at the age of 20 without ever having practiced it before. Through him, she has conquered the world. She took risks, experimented, lived and won. She met.

What good is knowledge if it stays confined? Shared, it builds bridges and opens doors for the whole of society.

“I love meeting new girls coming onto the scene who don’t know who to talk to because often the person to talk to is a man. I try to understand what it is like in their country, what can be done in that country. If every girl trains and does [o breaking] grows in your country, it will spread throughout the world,” he explained. Vanessa to Olympics.com. “I like to show female empowerment in the breaking community, because I’ve been through many situations, it’s a different journey than men. I think it’s really important to show girls their value,” she highlighted.

This thought, added to the adaptation in training and repertoire of presentations that he had to do when he arrived in London, made the B-girl create the platform Time Your Workouts. Targeted at women, the initiative presents a physical exercise routine for breaking.

Regarding the role of this project of yours, Vanessa considered: “We also want to organize events, panels, create a festival for girls. I have a lot of motivation to make a difference because I hate injustice. I hate people thinking we are less than someone else. We are equal and I want to show the world what women can do.”