Nazaré, a small city on the west coast of Portugal, is for Maya Gabeira (Rio de Janeiro, 33 years old) the place of her rebirth and, above all, of her double consecration.
It was there that the
Rio
surfer
suffered a serious accident seven years ago when she fell from a giant wave.
She overcame the injuries and trauma of the fall when she returned to her whitewater in 2018 and became the woman to ride the largest wave in history (20.7 meters).
This month, the World Surf League (WSL) acknowledged that Maya broke a new record in February: surfing a 22.4 meter wave.
"Surfing that wave was something special, but at the same time very scary," says the Brazilian.
"I was in Nazaré with the intention of enjoying the moment and, luckily, it happened again."
The descent down the giant wave lasted just over 10 seconds, enough to break her own record.
In 2018, she had to ask Guinness to recognize her brand, since the world record book did not distinguish between the male and female categories and the record belonged to another Brazilian, Rodrigo Koxa (24.4 meters).
Before becoming a record holder, Maya had to overcome the effects of the 2013 accident. After falling off the board, the surfer was swallowed by a sequence of strong waves that rendered her senseless.
They had to rescue her, resuscitated her on the beach and took her to the Nazaré hospital.
Maya had broken an ankle and injured her spine, and had to go through three operations and a long period of rehabilitation.
When he was able to surf again, he experienced the psychological trauma of the fall: he had nightmares at night and began to suffer from panic attacks.
So he decided to settle in Nazaré.
By daily surfing in the icy waters, he slowly regained his confidence and developed two mantras that helped him go through the process of mind and body recovery.
"Scars tell stories," he often jokes with other surfers about the marks left by the operations.
"Fear is essential," she says, explaining that the accident made her more cautious and attentive to the limits of the sea.
She is aware that, despite her talent, she does not have the obligation to tame all the waves that appear in her way.
Maya started surfing early, at the age of 13.
In her teens, she traveled to Hawaii in peak season, where she worked as a waitress and washed dishes while participating in her early surfing competitions.
Since then, she has followed a strict sleep routine to get up early and take advantage of the "big days", with the sea full of waves.
Before becoming one of the greatest surfers of her generation, she was known only for being the daughter of Fernando Gabeira.
The journalist and ex-guerrilla was part of the armed struggle against the military dictatorship in Brazil, spent almost a decade in exile and was a federal deputy for the Workers' Party, with which he broke after Lula da Silva became president of Brazil.
Maya has never been involved in politics, although she did publicly express that she would not vote for the far-right Jair Bolsonaro.
This year, the Brazilian has become the first woman to compete with men in the main WSL event in Nazaré.
Chosen six times as the best surfer of the season, Maya rules out the possibility of changing categories to compete in the Games - surfing will be an Olympic sport in Tokyo.
Their refuge is in the rough sea.
“My sport is to overcome fear every day.
I don't see myself far from the giant waves, ”he says.
