Brazilian kite surfer Bruno Lobo is not only an Olympic athlete, but he’s also a real-life hero.
Lobo, 31, came to a drowning woman’s aid during a training session off the coast of São Luís, Brazil, on Friday, January 10. “The day God used me as an instrument to save this young woman, all honor and glory to Him☝🏻🙏🏻,” Lobo wrote in a caption (translated from Portuguese) alongside footage he recorded of the incident via Instagram on Saturday, January 11. “Be warned about the dangers of the sea, rivers and any place you don’t know because the current in some places tends to be very strong!”
Lobo explained that he went into the ocean at around 5:40 p.m. local time “to do the last test” on a camera for his board. “It was a cloudy day, wind conditions were not the best, but I decided to test the support that had arrived, it was the first day using this material, I set the camera to record and went towards the coast,” he said.
He continued: “After sailing a few meters, I heard a cry for help and looked at the girl who was drowning. I quickly approached her with the kite, tried to calm her down and asked her to climb on my back. She was very tired and without strength.”
Lobo used his gear to help bring the woman back to shore, where lifeguards gave her assistance. “Thank God everything went well 🙏🏻🙌🏻,” he concluded. “I am grateful for all the messages. I only did what had to be done and what was within my reach!”
In Lobo’s footage, he quickly turned around upon noticing the woman in the water. He stepped off his kite surfing board and instructed her to hold onto his back as he navigated them to shore. Lifeguards met the pair in shallow water and helped the woman to the beach, where she thanked Lobo for the rescue with a hug.
The sports governing body World Sailing praised Lobo’s actions. “The woman met friends on the beach and walked away unharmed,” the organization wrote in a Monday, January 13, Instagram post. “Lobo, an orthopedic doctor, humbly shared: ‘I only did my duty and was in the right place at the right time.’ He also issued a vital reminder: ‘The sea is very dangerous, and the tide can pull you out.’ 🌊 Great job Bruno 👏🫶.”
Just as Lobo made his Olympics debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics, so did the sport of kite surfing. The sport and other surfing events took place on the Tahitian island of Teahupo’o. Lobo did not land on the podium during the Games but placed seventh in the men’s kite surfing competition.
“I end[ed] my participation in the 7th position, I came to bring a medal to Brazil 🇧🇷, but it didn’t happen this time, that’s what sport is like,” he captioned (originally in Portuguese) several Instagram pics from his Olympics journey in August 2024. “I feel like I gave my best in the water, I leave with my head held high and happy to have experienced all this and the trajectory so far! Strove hard to get to the best way possible.”
He added: “And as I always say, the journey is more important than the end! Thank you to everyone who made this possible, to my family and friends, supporters, sponsors and multidisciplinary team who lived all this with me.”
