“If you win, you’re alone. If you lose, you’re alone. That’s the reality of table tennis.” – Hugo Calderano

Ranked sixth in the world, a two-time Pan American Games and two-time Pan American Cup champion, Hugo Calderano is one of Brazil’s highest-achieving sportsmen right now and he’s doing it in a sport, table tennis, where the biggest names traditionally hail from Asia and Europe.

Hugo is changing the landscape of a sport he chose over several others, such is his natural-born ability to excel at anything he puts his mind to.

Whether it’s tennis, walking handstands, volleyball, swimming, backflip jerks or even solving the Rubik’s Cube, Hugo is the man!

Hailing from a country that is virtually synonymous with sporting excellence, Hugo nevertheless stood out from his peers at a young age, rising from his local table tennis club in Rio de Janeiro to global stardom in a matter of years.

How did he do it, you ask? ‘Outside the Venue: Hugo Calderano’ gives an exclusive insight into Hugo’s story from his upbringing in Rio to his big move to Europe at the age of only 14 in order to further his career.

How must it have felt to leave his family behind so young? How is it to switch a bustling South American city and home for the tiny, rural town of Ochsenhausen, Germany? How is it to feel alone?

These are just some of the insights you can gain into the making of a top-level athlete, including exclusive interviews with Hugo’s mother Elisa Borges and coach Jean Rene Mounie, who, alongside Hugo himself, offer fascinating perspectives from inside the Calderano camp.

Stunning camera work, including jaw-dropping imagery over Rio de Janeiro and the landmarks which shaped Hugo’s youth, to the high-pressure events in which he has participated, add dynamism to a gripping story that offers plenty of hope and ambitions for how much further the “Thrill from Brazil” can take his extraordinary career.

For the next 20 minutes, open your eyes and join us on a journey into the life of the one and only Hugo Calderano!