As 15-year-old Maria Duarte struggled to stay afloat off the coast of Brazil, all she could do was pray.
On that fateful day, Jan. 10, Duarte had been swimming alone near Praia do Olho Beach in São Luis, Maranhão, according to the U.K.’s Daily Mail.
Eventually, the South Atlantic began taking its toll on the teenager.
That’s when 31-year-old Olympic kitesurfer Bruno Lobo spotted her.
Lobo had been kitesurfing that day while testing out his camera, according to his Instagram post.
“After sailing a few meters I heard a cry for help and looked at the girl who was drowning,” Lobo wrote in his translated post.
“I quickly approached her with the kite, I tried to calm her down, and asked [her] to climb on my back. She was quite tired and without strength. I used the equipment to bring her safely to the sand, where the lifeguards performed the first aid at the seaside and thanks to God, everything went well.”
Would you call this an actual miracle from God?
Only seconds before, Duarte had prayed.
“At that moment I asked God and he was an angel in my life,” Duarte said, according to the Daily Mail. “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.”
Olympic kitesurfer Bruno Lobo rescues a 15-year-old girl from drowning.
Beast.
Lobo, who represented Brazil in the Paris 2024 Games, noticed a girl struggling to stay above the water while he was kitesurfing.
Once Lobo got to the girl, he had her wrap her arms around his neck… pic.twitter.com/ArKOeIN1OA
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 14, 2025
Lobo, an orthopedic surgeon, remained humble amid the media frenzy that followed and the award he received for his bravery: the Alferes Moraes Souto Medal — the highest honor given by the Maranhão Military Fire Department.
“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 said, according to the Mail.
Lobo is no stranger to media attention, or to winning medals, for that matter.
Although he placed seventh as a kitesurfer in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, he’d won gold before in the 2019 and 2023 Pan American Games.
He’s also a seven-time Brazilian Formula Kite champion, according to the Daily Mail.
As for Duarte, she can’t thank him, and God, enough.
“Words can’t describe my gratitude!” Duarte said, according to Surfing magazine.
“It was the salvation that God and my guides sent to me. I really could not handle it if I spent 5 minutes on the high sea even knowing how to swim and using anti-drowning techniques. Thank you very much and I wish you showers of blessings in your life.”
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