MAN SEVEN SPORTS Roller hockey, rowing, judo, wrestling, track and field, sailing and football were just some of the sports in which Boya competed. Carlos Oliveira, 61, refuses to stop and won the world masters rowing title last September. A true case of longevity in sports.

There is nothing more gratifying for a person than to have his work publicly recognized, regardless of his field of activity. But there are also those who are not satisfied with one activity and who try to do everything at the same time. In the world of entertainment, the “man with seven instruments” has always fascinated children and adults and even inspired a song by composer Sergio Godinho. This song was published in 1972, the year that Carlos Almeida Oliveira, better known as Carlos Boya, redirected this concept to another aspect: the world of sports.
Carlos Boya was born in Barreiro in 1943 and has always shown a great passion for sport, whatever it may be. It could be with or without a ball, require more or less physical effort, be collective or individual. The CUF – Operario area was one of the largest Portuguese factories for the production of excellent athletes in the mid-1950s. The existing conditions were the envy of major sports institutions, and Carlos Boya enjoyed them to the fullest. He was not content with just one activity and throughout his extensive and eventful career he gave his all in different sports.
He began playing roller hockey, then moved on to rowing, then judo, Greco-Roman wrestling, athletics, sailing and also the inevitable football – disciplines in which he always competed as a federation athlete. Titles, corresponding cups and medals accumulate in his home in Barreiro, and writing the resume of this multifaceted athlete takes many pages. He competed in the Olympic Games, managed to become champion in three different disciplines in one year and, now 61, continues to win world titles in senior rowing.
CHAMPION AT 61 YEARS OLD
Despite his successful career, Carlos Boya continues to make his mark on the Portuguese sports scene today. Age 61 has never been a barrier for Boya and this was clearly evident when he recently won the world rowing title in the veteran category last September in Hamburg, Germany.
A real case of longevity in domestic sports. “I spent about six months preparing for this competition and finally managed to become world champion,” he explained to Correio da Manhã. He has competed before, winning a bronze medal in 2002 (Seville), silver the following year (in Vichy) and last September he managed to achieve the much-coveted World Championship title in German waters, representing the colors of the Clube Naval Setubalense.
“If there is a sport that I love, it is rowing. I train almost as many hours now as I did when I was a senior athlete. I eat well, eat and sleep well, and live without excess.” Wasting no time, Boya divides his training between the Tagus River and the gym in preparation for the Masters Olympics (Edmonton, Canada), the World Championships (Scotland) and the Intercontinental Cup (Barcelona).
SPORT IN THE HEART
Life has never been easy for Carlos Boya. A native of Barreira, Boya had his second home in the CUF sports group when the organization experienced periods of great prosperity in the Portuguese panorama. At his base he went in for sports, since he had all the conditions for training at his disposal, and there he grew up in life. “We all lived in the CUF area, which had a fantastic sports complex and offered us a wide variety of sports. That’s when I started taking the sport more seriously,” Boya told Correio da Manhã.
The family was already involved in the sports world, but another reason prompted this native of Barreira to devote himself with all his heart and soul. “Sport also served as an escape from life, which was quite difficult for everyone at the time. Moreover, my mother died when I was three years old,” he explains. A restless and non-conformist by nature, Boya considers himself “gifted at sports” and adds that he has no plans to stop his sporting activities any time soon, succumbing to the inevitable aging. “I still have a lot of strength that I can give. Stopping means dying, and I will continue to compete until my strength runs out. You only grow old when you die.”
But like every resident of Barreiro, the Tagus River is an integral part of Boya’s life. This not only fed his family through difficult times, but also whetted his appetite for the sport, which even today, at the age of 61, makes him a true champion. “Rowing has always been my favorite sport and it is the most complete sport,” says this champion, who began his first rowing in a CUF Doca tank when he was just 16 years old. “I often went with my father, who was a fisherman, and I was the one who took the canoe and pulled the nets.”
Around the same time, another important value began to emerge in Portuguese sport. From his 16th birthday until today, when he turns 61, Carlos Boya, who currently has a gym named after him in the Barreiro Center, has grown tired of winning victories with his energetic rowing. “By my count, I have more than 60 titles in this sport, both at national championships, Portuguese-Brazilian championships, world championships and other competitions.” As for international performances, he has already played 143 matches.
MULTIFACETED
Despite the fact that Carlos Boya preferred rowing, he showed his talent in six other sports – those that he played and others he played as a simple hobby, such as gymnastics, basketball, handball, weightlifting, and also board games. tennis, which distracted him while he was doing military service overseas.
In 1973, Boya achieved a feat – apparently unique in the national panorama – by winning the national title that year in three different disciplines: judo, Greco-Roman wrestling and rowing. But, in addition to these three, he managed to become a champion in discus throwing. In terms of titles, he was a four-time national wrestling champion, winning six international titles and as many titles as a judoka.
And thanks to such active sports activities, Carlos Boya earned his living by hard work processing heavy metals in the inevitable CUF, where he worked as a boilermaker. Working hard and using the experience he had gained in his professional activities, he conceived and designed some of the equipment that now equips his gym. There was no time for simple everyday entertainment, but Boya didn’t care. “Everything I did was to become a champion,” he admits. And he achieved it.
“TODAY HE WAS AN OLYMPIC CHAMPION”
One of the dreams of any athlete is to participate in the Olympic Games. In 1972, Carlos Boyer had the opportunity to compete in rowing in Munich with his colleague Manuel Barroso, also from Barreiro. However, the Portuguese duo failed to go beyond the double sculls. The boat with which they won eight national titles arrived only the day before the race and weighed 20 kilograms more than the competition. Before the race, they completed an internship at Doca de Alcantara.
Today, Boya is adamant that things will be different. “If I were 25 or 30 years old now, I have no doubt that I would become an Olympic champion,” says the athlete from Barreiro. The Munich Games were marked by terrorism. “I didn’t see what happened in the Olympic Village, but the whole situation upset me. I was a little shocked then. Perhaps this terrorist attack marked the beginning of this era,” explained Boya, who marched with the Portuguese delegation next to the USSR and the GDR at the opening ceremony.
PROTECTION AT 51 YEARS OLD
In the Alentejo, the most famous story of sporting longevity is that of Filipe Manuel, or if you prefer, Sakaljar, a player who remains active despite being 51 years old. This Transtagano is registered with the AF de Évora and plays as a defensive midfielder in his home team Valenzas of the Division of Honor.
Filipe Manuel represented countless clubs over 30 years. Between 77 and 81 he lived his “golden” era with W. Montemor. The insatiability of time is inexorable, and “Sakalhar” was already faced with an absurd situation: he had a son as a colleague.
TRIO OF LONGEVITY
Boxer Foreman, football player Stanley Matthews and basketball player Parish are three examples of longevity. On the day he blows out 51 candles, next January, Foreman wants to celebrate his birthday in the ring. “Sir” Matthews made his mark on English football, playing professionally until he was 50, retiring in 1965. Parish disappeared into the NBA until he was 45, winning three titles.