Brazilian Olympic canoeist Isaquias Queiroz dos Santos may only have one kidney, but he paddles like a man with three lungs and two arms of kryptonite.
Queiroz, 22, is aiming for a Brazilian record of three gold medals in the C1 and C2 canoe sprints at the Rio Olympics starting August 5.
Given his amazing physical prowess, few here would bet against him – if anything, a childhood accident that left him badly injured seems to have made him faster.
“I lost a kidney when I was 10 after falling from a tree,” he told AFP at a training session in Rio de Janeiro. “A year later I started canoe-kayak. People thought I’d never make it, that I was handicapped, but I showed the whole world that there was never a handicap.”
“I joke with friends that they must have put a third lung in me during my kidney operation,” he said.
“I’ve never let anyone beat me and leave me thinking after that I’ve lost because I only have one kidney. No, the contest is equal. What’s bad though is that when someone loses against me and says afterwards, ‘Oh no, I lost to a guy with only one kidney!’”
Queiroz may look relaxed but he is also fiercely focused on the challenge ahead.
“Everyone tells me I am one of Brazil’s best chances to win gold medals,” he said, “but I don’t see that as pressure – more like a goal. Every day that people tell me they hope I’ll win I feel more motivated and ready to train even more to win these three medals.
“That would be historic, something no one’s ever done in Brazil,” he said.
Over the last three years, Queiroz has collected three golds and three bronzes at the World Cups in Duisburg, Moscow and Milan.
But what gives him added confidence is a change to the schedule in Rio that will mean wider gaps between races, taking place August 15-20 on the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon.
According to Brazilian media reports, the scheduling changes were made under pressure from the Brazilian Canoe Federation to benefit their star competitor – a tactic that might be an unofficial perk to being the Olympic host.
“Paddling in the C1 1,000 metres and in the C2 1,000 metres one day after the other is very tiring,” Queiroz said. “The change gives me a chance to win three competitions.”
The third is the C1 200 metres race which trainer Jesus Morlan is also preparing him for.
“I discovered I have potential at this distance and I won a bronze in it at the World Cup in Milan last year,” Queiroz said.
As he aims for Olympic glory, Queiroz looks back on a 2015 of contrasts.
“The best moment was when I got gold in the C2 1,000 metres with Erlon Silva and the gold in C1 200 metres in Italy. I surprised all my opponents,” he said. “Then I was chosen as Brazil’s athlete of the year for 2015. That’s something – the recognition made me very happy.
“The worst moment though was when I flipped my car over while going to fetch my brother at the airport,” he recalled. “I went off the road and had an accident. Luckily I didn’t get a scratch. I was able to return to training and concentrate on my goals for the Olympics.”
He’s also been a leader of protests by fellow Brazilian canoe and kayak athletes against their national federation, particularly over financial arrangements.
But this year could be the year when all the bad memories are put aside and he becomes known not only as the man with three lungs – but three medals.
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Managing the separation process
- Choose your nursery carefully in the first place
- Relax – and hopefully your child will follow suit
- Inform the staff in advance of your child’s likes and dislikes.
- If you need some extra time to talk to the teachers, make an appointment a few days in advance, rather than attempting to chat on your child’s first day
- The longer you stay, the more upset your child will become. As difficult as it is, walk away. Say a proper goodbye and reassure your child that you will be back
- Be patient. Your child might love it one day and hate it the next
- Stick at it. Don’t give up after the first day or week. It takes time for children to settle into a new routine.And, finally, don’t feel guilty.
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
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- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2-litre%204-cylinder%20petrol%20(V%20Class)%3B%20electric%20motor%20with%2060kW%20or%2090kW%20powerpack%20(EQV)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20233hp%20(V%20Class%2C%20best%20option)%3B%20204hp%20(EQV%2C%20best%20option)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20350Nm%20(V%20Class%2C%20best%20option)%3B%20TBA%20(EQV)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMid-2024%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETBA%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Directed by Sam Mendes
Starring Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, Daniel Mays
4.5/5
Your rights as an employee
The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.
The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.
If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.
Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.
The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Leap of Faith
Michael J Mazarr
Public Affairs
Dh67
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20HyveGeo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abdulaziz%20bin%20Redha%2C%20Dr%20Samsurin%20Welch%2C%20Eva%20Morales%20and%20Dr%20Harjit%20Singh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECambridge%20and%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESustainability%20%26amp%3B%20Environment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24200%2C000%20plus%20undisclosed%20grant%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVenture%20capital%20and%20government%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars
Studying addiction
This month, Dubai Medical College launched the Middle East’s first master's programme in addiction science.
Together with the Erada Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation, the college offers a two-year master’s course as well as a one-year diploma in the same subject.
The move was announced earlier this year and is part of a new drive to combat drug abuse and increase the region’s capacity for treating drug addiction.
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan