“Ended Up Being Shot, Being Caught”: Guinness Record Holder Maya Gabeira’s Father Took Some Extreme Steps that Barred Him From Visiting Daughter in America, Revealed In 2021

Published 12/14/2022, 12:15 AM EST

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Maya Gabeira has revolutionized the sport of surfing. She has been the torchbearer of the women surfing division for a long time. The 35-year-old surfer holds the world record for surfing the biggest waves in the history of women surfing. Maya’s father played a major role in her career development. However, Maya once revealed that the immense success made her distant from her father for almost a decade. 

Maya Gabeira appeared for an interview on Graham Bensinger’s Youtube channel. She provided some insights into her family’s history. 

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Maya’s father was a rebelious journalist

Maya Gabeira revealed that her father was a journalist. He actively participated in the protest against the dictatorship in Brazil. She said, “My dad entered a military group to fight for their freedom.” She added that the journalists were getting arrested and citizens’ fundamental rights were getting crushed by the dictatorial regime in Italy. Being a journalist himself, Maya’s father decided to raise his voice. 

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Maya further added that her father along with the military group kidnapped the American ambassador to pressurize the government. However, Maya’s father was caught in the process. She said, “He ended up being shot and being caught.” Maya’s father had to face severe hardship for this. Her father was deported to different parts of the European continent. “He was exiled through Europe and different countries” she revealed. 

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Maya’s father spent a decade getting transferred from one place to another. Maya wasn’t born till then. But he never gave up. “He is a brave man”, Maya acknowledged. Her father’s military group wanted to publish a letter to pressurize the government to release their 20 men . However, things did work accordingly. 

Maya Gabeira could not meet her father for ten years after coming to the USA

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The hardships for Maya’s father didn’t end after getting released from prison as well. The kidnapping of the American ambassador put extra sanctions on him. He was banned from entering the United States of America. As a result, he couldn’t meet Maya for 10 years when she shifted to the US. “I lived in America for 10 years and he couldn’t visit me”, she recalled. 

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Maya admitted that she had to go through a tough patch of time. But she never missed a chance to make her father proud. She kept delivering some magical performances. Maya eventually shifted to Portugal in 2015 as her priority was to take care of her family along with sports. 

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Written by:

Shivam Sharma

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Shivam Sharma is a US Sports author for EssentiallySports. With a Bachelor's degree in Journalism, he has previously worked as a writer and an anchor for Navbharat Today, penning down and explaining issues around sports, politics, and international relations. He is an admirer of Virat Kohli for the passion that he brings to the field.
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Edited by:

Gideon Mathson