Gabi details of her former teammate and friend, “It was very difficult for me…I’ve known Carolana since I was 15, so she was always a role model as a friend, as a person, but also as a player. We spent our entire trajectory in the senior national team practically together: 10, 12 years of many battles, difficulties, joys too.
“It’s really cool to see the maturity she had when she said goodbye to the national team. The way she did it, the understanding, how she prepared for that moment understanding that it’s a new chapter in her life. I respect that a lot because she leaves a wonderful legacy. Now it’s time to cheer her on for this new phase of her life.”
How Gabi intends to grow volleyball even greater in new cycle
With a World Championship silver and Olympic bronze in the previous Olympic cycle, Gabi and Brazil are keen to keep building in the leadup to LA 2028.
The captain is not one to rest easily, evident in her dedication to set the standards within the national team setup. After an exhausting few years culminating in their Parisian medal, Gabi needed a break, supported by three-time Olympic champion head coach Zé Roberto.
“It’s the first time I’ve taken a longer rest period,” she says of her time off following Paris 2024. “It’s been almost 15 years without asking for more time. It was very nice that Zé understood, not least because after the Olympics I only had a week off before starting at my new club, so it was mentally very difficult.”
The outside hitter continues, “This rest was important to start a new cycle. I also knew that returning in the middle of the process with the team, I would slow down a bit, resume training and return to the highest level. Now I’ve had time to get better and prepare for the World Championships, and that’s the goal: we must grow to have a good tournament.”