When Teresa Portela first arrived on the international scene there was already a Teresa Portela making a name for herself in the world of kayaking.
For as long as the Portuguese paddler has been competing at the highest level, her Spanish namesake has been starring on the global stage.
As well as sharing the same name, they both compete in kayak, often finding themselves coming up against each other at events, and have attended an astonishing 12 Olympic Games between them.
There was even a spell where they lived close to one another and trained together in preparation for the delayed Tokyo Games in 2021.
“I think there were only hundreds of kilometres between me and her so I asked if we could train together for the Tokyo Olympics to prepare for the kayak double 200m,” said Portugal’s Teresa Portela.
“It was not only for one year because of COVID so we had this experience of training together for two years and it was really nice.
“We have a really good relationship.”
While there are similarities between the two Teresa Portelas, there are differences when it comes to their approach to the sport.
One Teresa Portela is 42 years old and has an Olympic silver medal to her name which she achieved in Tokyo. She has captured two world titles in K1 200m coming in 2002 and 2005, has secured multiple European crowns and has represented Spain at seven Games stretching back to Sydney 2000.
The Portuguese Teresa Portela, meanwhile, is younger at 37, has competed at five Olympic Games with the first coming at Beijing 2008 and has won gold medals on the world and European stage.
“Teresa is five years older than me so when I started, she was already good,” said Portela.
“I guess it was only five years ago when I really met her and had this connection.
“Before then it was just nice to know a girl in the sport with the same name.
“It’s crazy how she keeps going and stays motivated.
“We are different in this way.
“She has the goal and really wants that whereas I am more like going day by day. Let’s enjoy it so competing is just a consequence, it’s not the main goal.
“She’s the opposite. If she says she wants to go somewhere, she will keep trying.”
Portela ended her long wait for a world title last year when she teamed up with Messias Baptista to seal mixed K2 500m gold in Samarkand.
It was a memorable moment for Portela whose other major successes came in the women’s K2 200m at the 2018 European Championships, and in the mixed K2 200m at 2023 European Games.
But Portela insists achieving personal accolades has never been a big driver in her career.
“I’m an athlete who likes the training more than the competing,” said Portela.
“I like to go training every day and test myself.
“I like competing, but it is not what I like most.
“The result is not what defines me.
“After the Tokyo Olympics I started doing the mixed events at first with Fernando Pimenta and then with Kevin Santos.
“We won the Europeans two years ago and then I teamed up with Messias.
“Doing the mixed events for all these years has been fantastic for me.
“As I was competing in K1, it was really nice to have this new challenge in a K2.
“Winning the World Championships and sharing this experience with Messias was really nice but not more than that.”
Portela has competed at five successive Olympic Games, racing at Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.
“It’s hard to race an Olympic Games, the last month before the Olympics was really hard,” said Portela.
“That’s why I’m proud of myself to be able to do all these Olympic Games.
“To be able to manage all the pressure, stay motivated for all these years and focus on the things that I really enjoy, like the training and having fun with my partners, my coaches and all the team.”
While her namesake is still competing in her 40s, Portela, who turns 38 this year, is unsure whether she will follow suit and commit to another Olympic cycle.
“The year after the Olympics is always different but this time it is even more different because I’m not young anymore so some doubts about my future are coming up,” said Portela.
“I’m trying to figure out what I am going to do in the future.
“I am training so I am trying to do both things – being relaxed and being at home more but at the same time trying to be in shape.”
Portela says the decision may depend on whether she can find other female paddlers in Portugal to make up a strong K2 or K4.
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“I’ve been doing the K1 for a long time, since my first Olympic Games in Beijing,” said Portela.
“It’s hard to train and focus on K1.
“I would like to motivate some girls in Portugal to be able to get a K2 and K4.
“If that happens, maybe I will be motivated to keep going.
“I would like to have a new challenge.
“I’ve been at five Olympics and I have never raced in K2 so it will be nice to try.”
Alongside her kayak training, Portela’s other passion is physiotherapy – an area which has helped her develop techniques to prolong her career and influence others to compete without pain.
“Some years ago, I started doing things related to physiotherapy and sports that make people do some exercises to prevent some pain or injuries,” said Portela.
“I have a group that I evaluate to know exactly what I should work on to make sure I have the best exercise for them so they can improve.
“This is not only for high-level competitors but also for people who want to do some sports and have some difficulties in their mobility.
“Being an athlete and a physiotherapist, they are both connected. As an athlete, I understand some of these pains, injuries or feelings well.”
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