Aretha Duarte Recalls Childhood and Early Sports Journey
Born on the outskirts of Campinas, the mountaineer shares how street games and soccer shaped her path.
Before reaching towering peaks, Aretha Duarte lived an active childhood on the unpaved streets of Campinas's periphery. In a conversation with Shubi Guimarães, she looks back at street games, amateur soccer, and her decision to pursue a degree in Physical Education.
For Aretha Duarte, her earliest memories of movement and autonomy were not forged in elite training facilities or distant expeditions, but on the dirt streets of the outskirts of Campinas, São Paulo. In a conversation with Shubi Guimarães on the XTREMMA Sports podcast—an episode that also covers other chapters of her career—the mountaineer detailed how her childhood in the community, formerly known as Favela do Jardim Capivari, shaped her relationship with physical activity.
Alongside her two older brothers, Ailton and Estênio, life took place mostly outdoors. With a small home, the street became their natural gathering space. Traditional games like marbles, kite flying, and pickup soccer games made up for the neighborhood's lack of infrastructure with freedom and movement, at a time when the area lacked basic sanitation, steady electricity, health clinics, and nearby public schools.
From Amateur Soccer to Physical Education College
As she grew up, soccer took center stage in Aretha's athletic routine. She began competing actively, playing for an amateur club in the city of Campinas. Experiencing team sports firsthand highlighted the transformative power of physical activity, inspiring her decision to pursue a Physical Education degree with the goal of teaching in schools.
Her trajectory took a new turn in college. During her second year of university, Aretha attended a lecture on mountaineering—a sport she had never encountered before—marking a decisive turning point that sparked her initial passion for the mountains.
