“There was a moment when I felt I had lost almost everything,” Vasco Ribeiro said in a heartfelt message reflecting on his upcoming return to competition after serving a three-year suspension for refusing to take a doping test, which he posted on his social media yesterday.

“I chose to transform one of the most difficult moments of my life into an opportunity to grow,” she added, noting, “I hope my story reminds someone that it’s never too late to start over.”

“I never imagined how important this day would be. More than announcing my return to competition, this was a day to close a chapter. It was a day to thank everyone who never stopped believing in me, even when I didn't believe in myself. It was a day to share this moment with my family, my friends, my partners, and all the people who accompanied me on this journey,” he explained.

“And it was a day to celebrate a comeback that began long before I put my lycra back on (…) I saw many of my plans fade away, I lost the opportunity to compete, and for a while, I also lost confidence in myself. But today I can look back and realize that what, at that time, seemed like the end of my story, turned out to be the beginning of the greatest transformation of my life,” he added.

“Today I’m returning to competition. But I’m returning with a completely different perspective. I still love surfing as much as ever, but today I value the journey much more than the result. Life has taught me that we all have our own chance to bounce back. Some after an injury. Others after a loss, an illness, a mistake, or a period when everything seems to be falling apart. What matters is not what happens to us, but what we choose to do with it,” he concluded.

Ribeiro was visited by a WADA agent to give random testing, he got nervous and chose to refuse to take the test.

What could have been a three-month sanction ended up being three years.

A few days ago the National Surfers Association announced that the Portuguese surfer will return to competition on July 14 with the Bom Petisco Peniche Pro and then with a series of QSs.

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