Upon her return da Silva won the women's title at the 2011 South American Cross Country Championships, leading Brazil to the team title. That May she broke the South American record for the 5000 m with a run of 15:18.85 minutes at a small meet in São Paulo. At the 2011 South American Championships in Athletics in Buenos Aires she came sixth in the 1500 metres then made a career breakthrough by winning the 10,000 m with a time of 31:59.11 minutes – the second fastest by a South American and a championship record. At the Troféu Brasil de Atletismo later that year she won a 5000/10,000 m national title double. Her 10,000 metres time of 31:16.56 minutes was a new South American record and over half a minute faster than Carmem de Oliveira's previous mark set in 1993.