“With control of my mind, willpower and perseverance, I know I can achieve anything!” — Felipe DA CRUZ

Hello everyone! I'm Caio Gabriel, and today I have the honor of interviewing Felipe da Cruz. A seasoned high-performance judo athlete, Felipe currently represents Lebanon—a chapter that follows remarkable stints with Portugal’s national team (both junior and senior divisions) and Brazil’s cadet team. Through relentless dedication, he has carved his own path onto the International Judo Federation’s World Judo Tour, where he competes among the sport’s elite. Now, as a true Olympic hopeful, Felipe is preparing to qualify for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

CAIO: First, Felipe, thank you very much for agreeing to be interviewed. I want to start by asking you the following: We know that the path of an elite athlete is full of obstacles, pressure and sacrifices. What makes you keep fighting, even when everything seems to be against you?

FELIPE: It’s clearly ambition. I can’t see myself without ambitions and dreams. I have ambitions and have always wanted something better since I was a child. Day after day, I want to progress and be better. Ambition is part of sport — without ambition we won’t get anywhere, we won’t have prospects for growth or a mountain to climb. This applies not only to sport, but also to life. Every high-performance judo athlete wants to be a World and Olympic medalist, and it’s no different for me. The “want,” the desire for victory and achievement, is what drives me.

CAIO: You mentioned that ambition is what has driven you since you were a child. How did you start in judo?

FELIPE: My first memories of judo are from when I was 7 years old. To tell the truth, I was a bit of a troublemaker. My father, who has a black belt in judo, decided to enroll me in a social judo project, hoping that I would develop self-control while learning to defend myself. At that time, I had no idea what judo was. I remember watching people training and thinking that if I were thrown like that I would break my back! [laughs] I lived on a farm where there was no internet, so I would end up going to internet cafes to watch judo videos. After about 6 or 7 months of training, I participated in my first competition. I lost in 6 seconds! [laughs] But that didn't discourage me. I was privileged to have instructors who taught me not only the techniques of judo, but also the philosophy and values behind the sport, which made me a better person. My references in judo are Nacif Elias, Leandro Guilheiro and Koga.

CAIO: Felipe, we know that the life of a high-level athlete requires sacrifices and discipline. But what is the hidden side of this journey? What are the challenges that no one sees, the battles that you face behind the scenes?

FELIPE: An athlete’s life is a daily battle. In fact, the athlete has to choose to pay the price to be successful. It’s a decision. High-performance judo has a price — and it’s expensive. Something that catches my attention is the fact that many want to “be in the castle” without wanting to contribute to “building the castle.” When we’re down, no one even sends a message. They’ll only find you interesting when you’re on the podium.

“An athlete’s life is a daily battle.

In fact, the athlete has to choose to pay the price to be successful. It’s a decision. High-performance judo has a price — and it’s expensive.”

CAIO: If you could share just one secret with those who want to achieve their ambitions, what would be the most valuable tip you would give?

FELIPE: The secret is a lot of emotional control. Along the way, there will be challenging, uninteresting and sad moments, so the secret is in the mind. It is necessary to have control of the mind to have control of life. With control of my mind, willpower and perseverance, I know I can achieve anything!

CAIO: What is the role of perseverance in these challenging times?

FELIPE: If the goal has not yet been achieved, the “want” has to speak louder. It is to keep training harder, focusing on improving every day, knowing that nothing is impossible. Every time I heard the word “impossible”, it was from someone trying to limit my dreams. When someone tells you that something is impossible, that person is projecting their impossibility onto you — it is not something that belongs to you. That is why I also want to emphasize the importance of having the right people by your side. If I could go back in time and give advice to the younger Felipe, I would say to persist, keep fighting always with positivity and surround yourself with people who are ambitious, who dream of achieving great things and who work hard to make it happen. Be around people who motivate you, encourage you, and help you get up and who strengthen you with positive words, because this will allow you to “reap good fruits”.

“When someone tells you that something is impossible, that person is projecting their impossibility onto you — it is not something that belongs to you.”

CAIO: Felipe, this question about resilience brings me to the field of mental health. Do you believe that combat sports optimize mental health and well-being?

FELIPE: When the athlete is valued and recognized for their work and has support, high-performance combat sports can be fantastic, because the athlete lives a very beautiful process, with unforgettable experiences, moments of overcoming, knowing their responsibility to inspire and influence the new generations. When my only concern is to train and prepare to give my best in order to deliver results, it is a de-stressing factor and excellent for mental health. However, many times, athletes deal with unfavorable organizational environments and climates, lack of financial support, political problems, injustices, and they have to face and overcome these challenges completely alone. This completely harms the mental health of athletes. Therefore, I do not believe that we can say that combat sports, in themselves, are beneficial to mental health. In fact, it seems to depend on how the athlete's career is conducted.

CAIO: Felipe, in your judo career, you have certainly experienced moments of great emotion, both in your victories and defeats. What was your most memorable achievement and what was the defeat that taught you the most valuable lessons to move forward?

FELIPE: My most memorable achievement was the bronze medal at the “La Coruna Junior European Cup 2017”. At the time, I was representing Portugal. That podium had a big impact on me because it was the first medal I won at an international level. As for the defeat… The defeat that taught me a valuable lesson was a fight I had at the “Budapest Grand Prix 2019”. That day, I won the first fight and lost the second, which would have put me through to the quarterfinals, against an opponent I knew was very strong and who later became a medalist at the 2019 World Championship and an Olympic athlete. Honestly, I thought I wasn’t yet at the level needed to fight an athlete with significant results on the World Tour and so I didn’t believe I could win. In the end, I lost that fight due to “shido” (penalties). But even though I lost, I was satisfied because I surprised myself with my performance. I believe I fought very well against this opponent and, for that reason, the message that remained was to never doubt my abilities, regardless of who I face on the mat.

CAIO: In addition to your achievements on the mat, do you believe that sports and athletes have the power to transform society? If so, what mark do you want to leave on the world?

FELIPE: Athletes play a very important educational role in society. We are here to inspire people to become the best they can be, to achieve their ambitions and to challenge the impossible. This is the message that athletes send to everyone. I believe that athletes transmit values of responsibility, commitment, hard work to reach the top; and the message that you are capable. This impacts future generations, including those in less favorable positions who dream of achieving great things. No matter our background, we must create our own opportunities. I learned in practice to use the means I had access to in the best possible way to earn my place on the IJF World Tour, progress by progress. Deep down, everyone wants to achieve something, but few pay the price. I want to be remembered as a person who had a lot of perseverance, worked hard, had willpower, and sacrificed himself to get where he wanted to be — I want to be remembered as a judoka with great inner strength.

“No matter our background, we must create our own opportunities.”

CAIO: Felipe, thank you very much for sharing your experience! May it inspire and impact many young people who aspire to fulfill their Olympic dream and be examples for current and future generations!

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