An Olympic kitesurfer heroically rescued a teenage girl from drowning off the shores of a beach in Brazil.
Bruno Lobo, who represented Brazil at the Paris 2024 Summer Games, was testing out his camera while kitesurfing at Praia do Olho in São Luis, Maranhão on Friday when he spotted Maria Duarte, 15, in distress.
Footage showed the 31-year-old turning around and heading for Duarte, who was fighting to stay afloat in the choppy waters.
Lobo, who is also an orthopedic surgeon, abandoned his board and swam to Duarte, who grabbed onto his back.
He guided them back to the board as the teen kept her arms wrapped around his neck.
Lobo then used his kite to bring them toward the shore before a lifeguard approached.
Duarte was taken to the sand, where first responders rendered first aid.
‘I only did what needed to be done and what was within my reach!’ Lobo said in a post to his Instagram account featuring the video.
Maria Duarte,15, holds on to Olympic kitesurfer Bruno Lobo after he rescued her from drowning in the city of São Luis
Brazilian Olympic kitesurfer Bruno Lobo said he was out testing a new camera when jumped into action
On Monday, Lobo and Duarte were reunited at a special ceremony.
The kitesurfer was bestowed the Alferes Moraes Souto Medal, the highest award that granted by the Maranhão Military Fire Department.
Duarte recalled praying for someone to rescue her from being swept away.
‘At that moment I asked God and he was an angel in my life,’ Duarte said in a video posted by Maranhão Governor Carlos Brandão on Instagram.
‘And I am very grateful to him. I did not know the sea and the challenge.
‘The sea is treacherous and you cannot challenge it.’
Lobo explained he was moved by the attention he received for rescuing Duarte.
‘It was very overwhelming, this moment of saving a life through sports and it is certainly my greatest trophy and my greatest achievement,’ Lobo said.
‘At that moment I asked God and he was an angel in my life,’ Duarte said of her rescuer
Maria Duarte (left) reunited with Brazilian kitesurfer Bruno Lobo (right) at a special ceremony Monday. Lobo received the Alferes Moraes Souto, the highest award from the Maranhão Military Fire Department
Maria Duarte recalled struggling to stay afloat and praying to be rescued
Aside from being the seventh ranked kitesurfer in the world, Bruno Lobo is also an orthopedic surgeon
Brazil’s Bruno Lobo competes the men’s kiteboarding event during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
‘Seeing Maria Eduardo here healthy and able to tell this story. God sent me at that moment, in that place to save her life when she needed it most.’
Lobo lost to Italian kiteboarder Riccardo Pianosi in the 2024 Olympics semifinals and finished seventh overall.
It was the first time since the 1992 Olympics that Brazil failed to medal in the competition.
Lobo, who is currently ranked seventh in the world, won gold at the 2019 and 2023 Pan American Games and is a seven-time Brazilian Formula Kite champion.
