Além dos Limites

Pedro Nunes tinha sido campeão nacional de triatlo aos trinta anos. Aos trinta e quatro, caiu de bicicleta durante um treino em Cascais e partiu a rótula do joelho esquerdo. O ortopedista foi direto: "Vai ter de superar doze meses de reabilitação antes de pensar em competir. Se pensar em competir." Pedro olhou para o teto do bloco operatório e prometeu a si próprio que ia superar isso.

Pedro Nunes had been national triathlon champion at thirty. At thirty-four, he fell from his bicycle during training in Cascais and shattered his left kneecap. The orthopaedic surgeon was direct: "You will have to get through twelve months of rehabilitation before thinking about competing. If you think about competing." Pedro stared at the ceiling of the operating theatre and promised himself he would overcome it.

Os primeiros meses foram os piores. Superar a dor física era difícil; superar a dor mental de ver os colegas a treinar enquanto ele fazia exercícios de fisioterapia com uma faixa elástica era outro nível de exigência. Pedro tinha a identidade construída à volta do desporto de alta competição. Sem isso, quem era ele?

The first months were the worst. Overcoming the physical pain was hard; overcoming the mental pain of watching his colleagues train while he did physiotherapy exercises with a resistance band was another level of demand altogether. Pedro had built his identity around elite sport. Without that, who was he?