The Brazilian delegation will have, in Paris Olympic Gamesformer swimmer Joel Jota as a mentor. The objective is for Joel to have the Team Brazil to help athletes in their quest for high performance. However, the announcement was not well received by big names in Brazilian swimming.
The big discontent is that, supposedly, Joel Jota “sells what is not”. This was the argument used by Joanna Maranhão, a former swimmer, who won eight medals at the Pan American Games. “Not even I, when I was an Olympic finalist, had that self-esteem”, she joked.
Bruno Fratus, bronze medalist in Tokyo 2020 and seven-time medalist at the Pan American Games, also shot at Joel.
“Not even Olympic medalist Bruno Fratus has ever had this audacity. Never, and I repeat, never sell yourself in exchange for likes and engagement. Everything has a limit, including marketing”, he criticized.
Career of Joel Jota
Joel Jota worked as a professional for 15 years. The former swimmer competed in world championships for the Brazilian team, such as the one in Durban, South Africa, in 2002. On that occasion, he was placed 7th in the 50-meter freestyle final.
After the end of his career as an athlete, he became a coach. However, he became even more recognized when he worked as a speaker, titled “the greatest performance specialist in Brazil”. On Instagram alone, he has over 5 million followers.
Athletes’ discontent
On his official website, Joel says he is “considered one of the fastest swimmers in the world”. The athletes clarified that the former swimmer’s biggest problem is the “lying” terms used.
“I joined the Brazilian national team in 2002 and stopped swimming in 2017. Joel was never in the main team. His wife (Larissa Cieslak, former swimmer) was at the Pan American Games in 2007, 2011 and, unless I’m mistaken, the Pan Pacific Games”, recalled Joanna.
“Neither of them came close to qualifying for the Olympic Games. I repeat: this is NOT a problem. The problem is in the lie. There is no problem with not having made the national team or not being a top athlete. The issue here is that this citizen sells what was not. And I’ll go further, he’s not a psychologist“, he concluded.
Joel Jota also received support
Joel published, on social media, a video of the exact moment his new role was revealed. The former athlete said that, in the past, he had the goal of participating in the Paris 2024 Games, a goal that was on the wall of his office.
Despite the criticism, Team Brasil’s new mentor was also highly praised by athletes from different sports.
“Sensational”, said Gabi Guimarães, from the Brazilian volleyball team. “We’re counting on you!” commented Pepe Gonçalves, rowing athlete. “I knew it, my friend. You are pure light. Let’s bring this determination, energy, courage to all Brazilian athletes”, celebrated former player Virna.
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This content was originally created in Itatiaia.
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