31/01/2017 11:12
An Olympic champion in Ankara – Lipe Fonteles inspires anywhere he goes
2017 CEV Volleyball Champions League - Men
Ankara, Turkey, January 31, 2017. Luis Felipe Fonteles, better known as ‘Lipe’, is one of two reigning Olympic champions – together with Mauricio Borges – from Rio 2016 who are competing in this year’s CEV Volleyball Champions League. The Brazilian star outside hitter is wearing this season the shirt of Halkbank ANKARA – and the 32-year-old is always one to follow closely even though the team from the Turkish capital have had a rough start to their European campaign.
“Halkbank and I talked for the whole summer about this comeback to Europe,” Lipe recounts. “Since I previously played for Fenerbahce, I knew this is one of the big teams in Europe and that it was a great opportunity to continue my career with a club setting the highest goals. This has always been my main drive – no matter for which team I play – I always want to be at the top! So it was some kind of an easy choice to make when you have a team like Halkbank calling you.”
Halkbank have lost three matches in a row so far in Pool E but Lipe does not feel like it is all over. “Well, I have had a great deal of experiences in my career showing that if you have the means to change a difficult situation, you can do it! I am sure that we still have the opportunity to change our current position in the Champions League. It is not easy but it was kind of the same at the Olympic Games last summer. We did not let some bad results influence the mood and skills of our team, and that eventually helped us net an amazing Olympic gold medal! Therefore, I am convinced that we can manage to turn things in our favour and can chase a spot in the Final Four. I am also confident that we can make it to the final stages of the Turkish national league and we proved this at the national cup finals where we won the silver medal, so we are ready for the challenges ahead.”
How is the daily life of an Olympic champion born in Brazil and now playing in Turkey? Is there any place for the so-called ‘saudade’ Brazilians seem to feel whenever they are away from their home country? “Actually I have a quite comfortable life in Ankara! When I am not busy with the team, I just go out with my girl; we go to the cinema or to the restaurant. The weather has been cold and we have had loads of snow here in Ankara, so together with my wife we are trying to use our free time to discover some new restaurants. Of course, I miss my family a lot, especially my nephew, and my goddaughter. However, this is something I have become used to during my career and I know that they understand my position, but of course it is difficult to be away from them for a long time.”
On August 21, 2016, Lipe fulfilled the ultimate dream of any athlete, becoming an Olympic champion – doing so on home soil before thousands of ecstatic Brazilian fans. “What do I remember from that day? Well, I have many memories to share from the entire Olympic cycle! It was not just one moment of joy; it was more about 20 years of emotions, pain, hard work, disappointments, and happiness. It all came together at once – when we won the final with Italy, it felt like I could review my entire career in just a few seconds. It felt like everything I went through was finally worth it. The last point was something truly amazing. It’s like a blessing to my whole career condensed into just one movement, one action, one moment of excitement that will be lasting forever. It will always stay with me and remain impressed in my mind – as well as in the memories of many more people around the world.”
“To win the Olympic Games is the highest sports achievement,” Lipe continues. “Every child that plays Volleyball or is involved in any other sport dreams to be playing at the Olympics one day – so to win gold and to do so in your home country, this is definitely something special! Since I have become some kind of a role model for many kids who also want to be successful in their lives, I realise that I now have a huge responsibility towards the development of Volleyball and sports in general in my home country. So I will – and already am – work something out to try and help with this as much as I can.”
People know Lipe as a very emotional, almost ‘aggressive’ player, and he turns into some kind of a warrior anytime he takes to the court, something that clashes with his friendly, gentle demeanour off the playing area. “I believe there is something in me, some kind of a competitive spirit… When I am involved in any kind of competition, I always want to win! It does not matter if this is about Volleyball, motorcycle riding, playing poker, etc. When I compete for something, I always want to bring out my best! Otherwise, I am a calm person; I really am! There is a nice anecdote I can share. When I first went to Poland to play with Zaksa, the club’s president, Mrs Sabina Nowosielska, invited me for lunch. After a while, she came up with a question. “Are you sure we hired the kind of player we wanted to get? Because they told me that you are a very aggressive player and this is exactly what I wanted for my team, but this is not the kind of person I saw today!” That’s exactly me! I guess that with all the energy I use while playing, I just need to relax when I am off the court!”
Lipe’s jump serve is one of the most powerful out there… It usually becomes a real nightmare for the opponent’s receivers. “Since I started with Volleyball when I was 12, my first coach taught me how to jump serve. However, at that stage of my career, he never let me serve strong, because he wanted me to first focus on the technical side of it. I remember he told me – and I will never forget this – ‘one day you will become a very good jump server, but first you have to learn how to do that”. Since the early days of my career, I have been working on my jump serve, on the technique and on my power. It is not something you learn overnight, but if you work hard and commit to it, you may achieve what you want. On top of this, I have always felt a sense of responsibility towards my team. I have always felt responsible to get them out of difficult situations through my jump serve. Maybe this helps too, so when I go and serve, I am aware that it will work just fine,” the Brazilian ‘ironman’ says.
What does Lipe take from Volleyball apart from medals, titles and fame? “Volleyball is an amazing sport, not only from a physical standpoint. It helps develop your personality in many ways and provides you with assets you can use in your daily life, also off the court. This applies for instance to teamwork, leadership, and delegation of tasks, the setting and achievement of goals, dedication, abnegation and self-responsibility. It is a life-teaching sport! And if this is not enough to inspire kids, think only about how many friends you will make, how many places you will visit, how many people you can reach and inspire yourself!”
These are the words worth of an Olympic champion, on the court – and off the court as well!
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