GONCALVES Jeferson

Classification
B1 (ibsasport.org, 11 May 2021)

Type of Impairment
Vision impairment (ibsasport.org, 11 May 2021)

Origin of Impairment
Congenital (ibsasport.org, 11 May 2021)

Impairment Details
He was born with glaucoma, and was diagnosed as completely blind at age six. (elperuano.pe, 28 Aug 2019; cpb.org.br, 01 Jun 2019)

General
FREEDOM ON THE PITCH
He enjoys the freedom he experiences while playing the sport. "What I like the most is the autonomy that I have on the pitch. People with an impairment generally depend on others from day-to-day, but that doesn't happen on the pitch. There we have to do what we are supposed to do in the best way. We choose our own path. We have the chance to show how hard we train. I wouldn't change this feeling for anything." (elperuano.pe, 28 Aug 2019)

ROLE MODEL
He aspires to be an example for children in Brazil. "It's something I never imagined, but I feel very proud. It's a sign that I've done a good job so far as a professional athlete. Sport teaches us many lessons that we carry into life itself. One of them is respect. You learn to respect those around you, to live in a group and that people are different from each other. We learn to win and lose, and that's very important, because in life we also have victories and frustrations and we have to know how to deal with all those issues. Football, for me, is everything. Without football, I would not be who I am today. I am a better person thanks to the sport." (paralympic.org, 22 Feb 2020)

BREAK
In 2017 he took a year away from competition. He returned to training with the national team in January 2018. (paralympic.org, 17 Jan 2018)