BRAZIL: Brazilian windsurfer Ricardo 'Bimba' Winicki aims to keep the scale up to face Olympic heavyweights and bring home a medal

Record ID: 330905

  • Title: BRAZIL: Brazilian windsurfer Ricardo 'Bimba' Winicki aims to keep the scale up to face Olympic heavyweights and bring home a medal
  • Date: 18th July 2012
  • Summary: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL (JULY 17, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SUGARLOAF MOUNTAIN VARIOUS OF BRAZILIAN WINDSURFER RICARDO "BIMBA" WINICKI PREPARING WINDSURF BEFORE TRAINING VARIOUS OF WINICKI CARRYING BOARD AND SAIL WINICKI ATTACHING SAIL TO BOARD (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) BRAZILIAN WINDSURFER RICARDO "BIMBA" WINICKI, SAYING: "Now the gear (windsurf boards) grew bigger, the athletes grew bigger, we became stronger. I competed in Athens weighing 67 kilos and now I'm nine kilos heavier, nearly ten kilos heavier, from gaining muscle by managing a bigger sail." VARIOUS OF WINICKI WINDSURFING IN THE GUANABARA BAY (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) BRAZILIAN WINDSURFER RICARDO "BIMBA" WINICKI, SAYING: "Lots of people say I chickened out. I don't see it like that because what I lacked was adrenaline and the fear of losing. I went into the water too relaxed." VARIOUS OF WINICKI WINDSURFING (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) BRAZILIAN WINDSURFER RICARDO "BIMBA" WINICKI, SAYING: "You can be sure I'll practice a lot. My objective is to be at the Rio Olympics in 2016 be it kite, windsurf, sailing boat or whatever." CAMERAMEN FILMING WINICKI TRAINING VARIOUS OF WINICKI WINDSURFING
  • Embargoed: 2nd August 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Brazil
  • Country: Brazil
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA6V62T4VFKZH7311GLPLUCS5V3
  • Story Text: Fighting the scales means the opposite to Brazilian windsurfer Ricardo "Bimba" Winicki from most athletes aiming for Olympic glory.
    The 2007 world champion wants to compete at the London Games weighing nearly 10 kilos more than he did in Athens eight years ago when he let an Olympic medal slip from his grasp.
    The 32-year-old Carioca (Rio native), who is going to his fourth Games, hopes to find strong winds at the yachting venue in Weymouth bay on England's south coast.
    He believes that the heavier he is the faster he will be able to go on his RS:X board.
    Bimba, who weighed 67 kilos in Athens, rejoices in having reached 77 preparing for London.

    "Now the gear (windsurf boards) grew bigger, the athletes grew bigger, we became stronger. I competed in Athens weighing 67 kilos and now I'm nine kilos heavier, nearly ten kilos heavier, from gaining muscle by managing a bigger sail," he said.
    When Bimba competed in Athens, windsurfing was in the Mistral class, slower in strong winds and faster in light winds, with the lighter competitors holding the advantage.
    At the 2008 Beijing Games, the larger RS:X boards came in but were not to the advantage of the bigger competitors due to a lack of wind, but the opposite is expected at the London Games starting on July 27.
    Ten kilos heavier, eight years more experience and after several victories including the world title in Portugal in 2007 and three successive Pan-American Games gold medals since 2003, Bimba still regrets what happened on August 25, 2004.
    That day, he went into the final race at the Athens Games in the lead, only needing to finish in the top 15 to secure a place on the podium.
    Bimba came in 17th, was fourth overall and said he learned a lesson for life.

    "Lots of people say I chickened out. I don't see it like that because what I lacked was adrenaline and the fear of losing. I went into the water too relaxed," he said.
    The London Games are likely to be his last chance to correct past errors. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided that at the 2016 Rio Games, windsurfing will be replaced by kitesurfing, which Bimba only practices occasionally and is not sure he will be able to remain among the world's elite.
    But he is determined to do all he can to take part in the games in his home city even if it means turning a page and facing a new challenge.

    "You can be sure I'll practice a lot. My objective is to be at the Rio Olympics in 2016 be it kite, windsurf, sailing boat or whatever," he said.
    The change is set to be ratified in November in a new IOC vote and will likely shift most windsurfers to kitesurfing.
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