I always had the dream of reaching 15m – Keila Costa

Brazilian jumper Keila da Silva Costa, who was a 2007 World Championships Long Jump and Triple Jump finalist in Osaka, is undoubtedly one of the most talented athletes to emerge from South America in the past decade, and is one her way to be the country’s female Triple Jump pioneer.

Her country has always been able to produce great male Triple and Long jumpers from the days of Adhemar Ferreira da Silva (in the 50’s), Nélson Prudêncio (in the 60’s), João Carlos de Oliveira (in the 70’s), to the actual times with the “giant” Jadel Gregório, a man who has been animating the international scene since 2002, and has earned IAAF World Championships medals both indoors and outdoors.

Defining moment in Kingston

Back in 2002, Keila became the first Brazilian to earn a medal in a World Junior Championship competition, when at the Kingston edition she took the bronze in the Triple with a 13.70m performance on 17 July.

“Up to this day, that is the happiest athletics day in my life. A very important moment which will remain in my memory for ever”, says Costa.

Back in 2001, while she still was 18 years old, Costa improved the South American record with a 14.00m effort, on a day (22 April) where she also jumped 14.15m aided by a 2.2 wind.

“Those days, while I was a junior athlete, were very important for me. They taught me that we always have to fight to achieve our goals, even when certain conditions are not great. Anything is possible if we believe in our potential”.

Athletics initiation at age 9

“I began practicing athletics induced by my older sister, Danielle Costa, when I was 9. It was at the place where I was studying, the “Prof. Azinete Ramos Carneiro” school in Recife, State of Pernambuco. Roberto Andrade was my teacher, and then he became my coach”, explains Costa. “My sister was very important, because she showed me the way to the sport, and that changed my life for ever”.

“After the early success as a junior, 2003 was a difficult year. I suffered an injury to one of my fibulas, and couldn’t train for 8 months. Those 8 months were an eternity to me, and that’s when I decided that I had to move to a place where I could have better conditions for training. That place was São Paulo.”

“The decision was not easy at all, but I decided to leave Recife, because I wanted to qualify for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, which I eventually did”.

“When I left Recife and Roberto Andrade, Pedrão Henrique Toledo became my coach. I moved to Presidente Prudente, in the interior of State of São Paulo. Pedrão made me evolve in the Long Jump, reaching 6.61 in 2004, and 6.63 in 2005, and I learned very important things with him, but in October of 2005, I decided to continue my career with Nelio Moura in São Paulo, a great coach and a great person, who has been a great influence in my life, both in and outside the track”.

“When Keila joined our group, I was aware of the fact that she had had some injuries and pains typical of athletes who have trained very intensely, and were successful in their youth. So, the focus at the beginning was on trying to make sure that she was comfortable with the loads of work she had, and then, little by little, it shifted on to try to improve certain technical aspects. Keila is a very powerful jumper, and a very determined and responsible girl. With that in mind, it becomes very easy to work with her”, adds Nelio Moura.

Focusing more in the Triple, in 2006 Costa was able to improve her old 14.00 performance from 2001, when jumped 14.17 early in the season. But that proved to be only a preview for some more yet to come.

2007 - A breakthrough year

“I believe that the greatest secret for 2007 was the extra support I received. I was able to train more, due to the aid of physiotherapy, even when I wasn’t suffering pain… Then, the help from a nutritionist, and ultimately a psychologist, proved to be crucial”.

After improving her Triple Jump PB to 14.43 on 7 March in São Paulo, Costa’s first big impact of 2007 came on 6 May at the South American GP in Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, when she produced 3 wind-aided jumps over 15m, topped with a best of 15.10 (wind 2.7).

“I always had the dream of reaching 15m. I used to watch Inessa Kravets’ video from Gothenburg 1995, trying to figure out how she could jump 15.50… I used to imagine myself jumping that far, and today I think that all that is closer. That day was a great one for me, and I thank God for putting Nelio Moura on my way, because I couldn’t have done that without his help.”

Later on, at the IAAF GP of Belém on 20 May, Costa set her Long Jump with 6.88m, the second best-ever by a South American athlete, behind the 7.26 area record by compatriot Maurren Maggi. Those performances placed Costa among the world’s best.

“It has been very important to compete and train with Maurren. We have a healthy rivalry, but only inside the track… I used to be her fan. I certainly admire her grit, her tremendous will, and her attitude of never giving up. I believe the rivalry has helped me a lot, because it’s motivating to see how close I get to her marks, and that is also pushing her as well.”

Area record, Pan-American medals, and Worlds finals

On 9 June, Costa was able to capture the South American Triple Jump record with a 14.57 mark obtained at the South American Championships. That led the way to the Pan American Games, where Keila placed herself on the podium both in the Long and Triple Jumps, finishing second in both cases.

“That record was one of my goals for the season. I knew that if things went well, it would become very possible. Then, to win to silver medals at the Rio Pan-Am Games, was also a great moment. Something that I owed myself from Santo Domingo 2003, where I couldn’t compete due to injury,” adds Costa.

“My third greatest moment of the season came in Osaka, at the IAAF World Championships. Being able to advance to the final was awesome, and perhaps, the best lesson to be learned from that experience, is not to feel completed by reaching the final, and to realise that I must fight always until the final jump”. Costa was seventh at Long Jump with 6.69, and ninth at Triple Jump with 14.40.

Special time for Brazil

Brazil had plenty of field event finalists in Osaka with Maurren Maggi sixth and Costa seventh at the Long Jump (Panamanian Irving Saladino, who trains in São Paulo with Nelio Moura, was the men’s event winner). At the Triple Jump Jadel Gregório was second and in the women’s event Costa was ninth. In the women’s Hammer Throw Jessé de Lima was thirteenth, and in the Pole Vault Fábio Gomes da Silva was tenth in the men’s final and Fabiana Murer was sixth in the women’s event.

“I believe the secret for that is that we push ourselves at training, and to have great coaches, like Nelio Moura, in my case”, remarks Costa.

Ambitious goals for 2008

“I had a great evolution at both events, but without a doubt, Triple remains my favourite one. Training is already going very well, and for next year I want to be solid over 15m at Triple, and to be able to jump 7m in the Long Jump.”

“I would love to reach those marks at the World Indoor Championships and the Olympic Games, because they would most likely place me on the podiums.”

Eduardo Biscayart for the IAAF

Keila da Silva Costa

Recife, Pernambuco. 6 February 1983. 1.70m, 62Kg. Club: BM&F Atletismo. Coach: Nelio Moura.

South American TJ record holder (14.57 ’07); South American Junior record holder at LJ (6.46 ’02), and TJ (14.00 ’01); South American U-18 TJ record holder (13.23 ’00).

Silver medallist at 2002 IAAF World Junior Championships. 4-times South American Champion (1 at LJ- ’03; 3 at TJ- ’01, ’03, ’07). Ibero-American Champion 2006 (LJ).

Progression at LJ/TJ: 1998- 11.74, 11.91w; ‘99- 5.83/12.62; 2000- 6.05A/13.23, 13.65w; ‘01- 6.20, 6.24w/14.00, 14.15w; ’02- 6.46/13.78, 13.80w; ’03- 6.52/13.68, 13.69w; ’04- 6.61/13.80; ’05- 6.63/13.95; ’06- 6.59/14.17; ’07- 6.88/14.57, 15.10w. Other pbs: 100m: 11.8 ’01.