A precocious talent in table tennis, Luca Kumahara, 28, from São Paulo, is being forced to review his trajectory in the sport.
With three Olympics and Pan American Games medals under his belt, Kumahara is also the first trans man in the sport.
Immersed in the sporting universe from an early age, he says that, although he identified with the male gender as a child, for a long time he didn't even think about the transition.
Until, in mid-2019, he came across videos on YouTube about hormonal treatment with testosterone and decided that was what he wanted for himself.
'For trans men, both in society and in sport, it's much easier than for trans women, unfortunately,' Kumahara tells Sheet.
The debut in the men's category took place at the end of last year. Kumahara says that the main difference he felt was in the loot, which, according to him, is more 'stolen' among men.
And, despite being difficult emotionally, it helped the table tennis player to see more clearly the path he needs to follow to continue making a living from the sport. 'I'm not just going to focus on a goal, without looking at whether my life is moving forward.'
When did you start thinking about transitioning gender? I have always identified with the male gender, since my first memories. But, as I joined the sport very early, which is 100% binary, separated into feminine and masculine, I was very immersed in this world and didn't see transitioning gender as a possibility. When I say transition, it's telling people how I identify. Many people end up having the mistaken idea that transition involves procedures, and, in fact, it happens when you assume another gender, you don't need to undergo surgery, a name change, hormonal treatment, you just need to accept it.
What made you start thinking about it? In 2019, I started watching videos from a trans YouTuber who talked about his process, and it was from there that I came into contact with more information about the subject. I heard him talking about hormonal treatment with testosterone, the changes it brought, especially aesthetic ones, and I thought I really wanted to do it. That's when I started to make a plan.
How was the planning? At the time I was returning to the national team, after a period in which I was quite discouraged and almost stopped playing. But I came back better than before, and it was an important moment for me professionally because of the Tokyo Olympics. As 2020 was close, I decided to wait and made the plan to try to play in the women's league until Paris and then start treatment.
What made you anticipate your plans? After Tokyo, the coaching staff was renewed and I saw the women's team with a coach who was following the same line of work as the athletes. But the Brazilian confederation decided to change the coach and we didn't agree. We tried to argue, but they didn't back down. Until then, I was prioritizing my women's career, especially because, with the treatment, I would test positive for doping in the category. As the change of coach discouraged me a lot, it no longer made sense to postpone something so important on a personal side.
Did you suffer prejudice due to the decision? So far, everything has been very smooth. I always say that for trans men, both in society and in sport, it is much easier than for trans women, unfortunately. Everything was very calm in relation to the sponsor, the confederation. Despite having had problems with the confederation regarding the change of coach, everything about the transition was very good, from the beginning they supported me a lot.
How was your men's debut in the Brazilian Championship, in December 2023? It was a very complicated debut emotionally. I didn't think it would be so different, because I've experienced so much in sport, and I thought I would be able to deal with the emotions, but they were very different. The reason, the origin of the emotions was very different from everything else I went through in life, that's why it was so difficult to deal with them. The first game, in theory, wasn't supposed to be so difficult for me, but it was very competitive. It was really difficult, but at least it started. This step was more important than I imagined.
Why? I didn't feel like competing yet, I wanted to wait a little longer, but it was important to see what I needed to do, the path I needed to take.
What is this path? Mainly in terms of planning competitions. The São Paulo championship, for example, I haven't played in for a long time, those who are on the team generally don't play, they are tournaments in which the conditions are usually not very good, the table, the location, the ball. But, after the Brazilian Championship, I realized that I need to be humble and recognize that I need this, it will be an important step. I have to be willing to do that if I want to improve.
Mr. Did you feel a lot of difference in relation to the women's games? I felt a difference in my serve, which is a determining factor for the game. In the men's game, the serve is more 'stolen', as we say in sport, where players don't follow the rules exactly. These are aspects such as the height at which the hand must be positioned, the position of the body, the direction of the ball. I can't even talk about competence, about the serve being better in the men's game, because, in reality, it is 'stolen'. If the players used the same strategy, perhaps the serve would have the same efficiency. I think there is the issue of male confidence and the demand on girls to always do everything right, in more social aspects. I'm going to have to learn to deal with this, not only to be able to accept it, but to avoid getting angry.
Do you still see any possibility of being in Paris-2024? Paris is impossible, the team is practically closed and, even if it weren't, there are many players who would be ahead of me. I have to be very realistic about expectations.
And thinking about Los Angeles-2028? I have to think first about trying to be in the national team, because I see that it is difficult. Today it is more of a dream than a goal. My short and medium term goal is to continue living as a table tennis player, because now it starts all over again. If a club comes to me to play and asks me how much I want to receive, I can't say, because I don't know what I can offer them in terms of results. In terms of women, I knew what I could offer, in terms of men, I didn't. This is the biggest challenge for me to continue living as a table tennis player. It's something I really want, but the bills have to be paid. I'm not just going to focus on a goal, without looking at whether my life is moving forward.
X-ray | Luca Kumahara, 28
Born in São Paulo, Luca Kumahara is the first trans table tennis player in the sport. He made his debut for the Brazilian adult team at the age of 13 and participated in the London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He won team silver and individual bronze at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games.
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