The Most Famous

ATHLETES from Brazil

This page contains a list of the greatest Brazilian Athletes. The pantheon dataset contains 6,025 Athletes, 20 of which were born in Brazil. This makes Brazil the birth place of the 46th most number of Athletes behind Argentina, and Serbia.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Brazilian Athletes of all time. This list of famous Brazilian Athletes is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Brazilian Athletes.

1. Adhemar da Silva (1927 - 2001)

With an HPI of 52.32, Adhemar da Silva is the most famous Brazilian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 29 different languages on wikipedia.

Adhemar Ferreira da Silva (September 29, 1927 – January 12, 2001) was a Brazilian triple jumper. He won two Olympic gold medals and set four world records, the last being 16.56 metres in 1955 Pan American Games. In his early career he also competed in the long jump, placing fourth at the 1951 Pan American Games. He broke world records in triple jump on five occasions during his illustrious career. To date, he remains the only track and field athlete from South America to have won two Olympic gold medals. He remained the sole Olympic gold medalist for Brazil until the 1980 Summer Olympics. He is regarded as one of the finest South American athletes in history, and for decades was the only Brazilian athlete to have won gold in two consecutive Olympics (a record that stood until 2012). He was the first Brazilian individual athlete to have set a world record in any sporting event. He became an extraordinary exceptional triple jumper despite not excelling in his speed and long jumping abilities. Silva was a polyglot, having learned English, Finnish, French, Japanese, Italian, German, and Spanish in addition to Portuguese. He had close association with Czech veteran long-distance runner Emil Zátopek for over 50 years. Silva was a member of the São Paulo Futebol Clube, and because of him, the team coat has two gold stars above its emblem. He also had a short stint for Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama from 1955 to 1959.

2. Nelson Prudêncio (1944 - 2012)

With an HPI of 47.69, Nelson Prudêncio is the 2nd most famous Brazilian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Nelson Prudêncio (April 4, 1944 – November 23, 2012) was a Brazilian athlete who competed in the triple jump. He won silver medals at the 1967 and 1971 Pan American Games and 1968 Summer Olympics, and a bronze at the 1972 Summer Olympics. Prudêncio was ranked world's #2 in 1968, #3 in 1972, #5 in 1975, and #8 in 1971. Prudêncio's jump of 17.27 metres (56 feet 8 inches) at the 1968 Olympics was the world record before Viktor Saneyev extended it to 17.39 metres (57 feet 1 inch) a few minutes later. Prudêncio was Professor of Physical Education at the Federal University of São Carlos and vice-president of Confederação Brasileira de Atletismo (Brazilian Athletics Confederation). He died of lung cancer on November 23, 2012, in São Carlos. He was 68 years old.

3. Vanderlei de Lima (b. 1969)

With an HPI of 46.33, Vanderlei de Lima is the 3rd most famous Brazilian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima (born 4 July 1969) is a Brazilian retired long-distance runner. He was born in Cruzeiro do Oeste, Paraná. While leading the marathon after 35 km (22 mi) at the 2004 Summer Olympics, he was attacked on the course by Irish former priest Cornelius "Neil" Horan. Following the incident, Lima fell from first to third place, eventually winning the bronze medal. He was later awarded the Pierre de Coubertin Medal for his sportsmanship shown in that race. Lima won the Tokyo International Marathon in 1996 and the Hamburg Marathon in 2004. He won the South American Cross Country Championships in 1995, and the marathon at the Pan American Games consecutively in 1999 and 2003. He lit the Olympic cauldron and carried the Olympic flame during the opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics.

4. João Carlos de Oliveira (1954 - 1999)

With an HPI of 44.18, João Carlos de Oliveira is the 4th most famous Brazilian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

João Carlos de Oliveira, also known as "João do Pulo" (May 28, 1954 – May 29, 1999) was a Brazilian athlete who competed in the triple jump and the long jump. Born in Pindamonhangaba, São Paulo De Oliveira won two Olympic bronze medals. His personal best of 17.89 metres, set on October 15, 1975, in Pan American Games, stood as the world record until 1985. As of today, it is still in the top twenty of all-time best results in the event.

5. Joaquim Cruz (b. 1963)

With an HPI of 43.80, Joaquim Cruz is the 5th most famous Brazilian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Joaquim Carvalho Cruz (born 12 March 1963) is a Brazilian former middle-distance runner, winner of the 800 meters at the 1984 Summer Olympics. He is one of only ten men, and in August 1984 became the second man, to run the 800 metres in less than 1 minute 42 seconds.

6. Torben Grael (b. 1960)

With an HPI of 40.82, Torben Grael is the 6th most famous Brazilian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Torben Schmidt Grael (born 22 July 1960) is one of the most well known Brazilian sailors, renowned in international competitions. A descendant of Danes, he was taken sailing by his grandfather at the age of five years on the sailboat Aileen, of the 6 Metre class, which was the boat used by the silver medal-winning 1912 Summer Olympics Danish sailing team. Once he moved to Niterói, he started sailing with his brother, Lars Grael, also an Olympic medal winner, on the Bay of Guanabara. Another brother, Axel Grael, is the current mayor of Niterói. He is father of Olympic champion Martine Grael and sailor Marco Grael.

7. Glover Teixeira (b. 1979)

With an HPI of 39.95, Glover Teixeira is the 7th most famous Brazilian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Glover Lucas Teixeira (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈɡloveʁ tejˈʃejɾɐ]; born 28 October 1979) is a Brazilian-American former professional mixed martial artist. He competed in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Teixeira is a former member of the Brazilian National Wrestling Team and has competed in the WEC, Impact FC, PFC and Shooto. He is the second oldest UFC champion in history behind Randy Couture and the oldest first time champion in UFC history.

8. Robson da Silva (b. 1964)

With an HPI of 39.93, Robson da Silva is the 8th most famous Brazilian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Robson Caetano da Silva (born September 4, 1964 in Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian sprinter. He participated in four consecutive Olympic Summer Games (1984, 1988, 1992, 1996) and won the bronze medal over 200 metres in the 1988 Seoul Olympics as well as in the 4×100 m relay in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Da Silva won three victories at World Cup competitions (1985, 1989, and 1992) over 200 m. He set two South American records over 100 metres and five over 200 m. In 1989, he was ranked No. 1 in the world with a time of 19.96 s over 200 m. His personal best of 10.00 makes him the fourth fastest South American in history. Regarding performance-enhancing drugs, Da Silva has stated he decided "not to take [them] and lose because it was a matter of character [and] dignity".

9. Robert Scheidt (b. 1973)

With an HPI of 39.44, Robert Scheidt is the 9th most famous Brazilian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Robert Scheidt (born 15 April 1973) is a Brazilian sailor who has won two gold medals, two silver medals and a bronze from five Olympic Games and a Star Sailors League Final. He is one of the most successful sailors at Olympic Games and one of the most successful Brazilian Olympic athletes, being one of only two to earn five medals along with fellow sailor Torben Grael, and only behind the six medals of Rebeca Andrade. He is the only Brazilian sailor to win medals in both dinghy and keelboat classes. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest sailors of all time.

10. Renzo Gracie (b. 1967)

With an HPI of 37.79, Renzo Gracie is the 10th most famous Brazilian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Renzo Gracie (Portuguese: [ˈʁẽzu ˈɡɾejsi]; born March 11, 1967) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and 7th degree coral belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and coach. A third generation member of the Gracie family, he is the grandson of Gracie jiu-jitsu co-founder Carlos Gracie, grandnephew of Helio Gracie, nephew of Carlos Gracie Jr. and the son of Robson Gracie. By the age of 20, Gracie was a multiple-time BJJ champion in Brazil. In mixed martial arts, Renzo has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Pride Fighting Championships, K-1, RINGS, and International Fight League (head-coaching the New York Pitbulls). Gracie is crediting with training some of the best fighters in North America such as: Georges St-Pierre, Frankie Edgar, Chris Weidman, Matt Serra, Ricardo Almeida, Roy Nelson, Rodrigo Gracie, Paul Creighton, and Shane McMahon. Gracie is also known to have trained Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of United Arab Emirates. Renzo Gracie: Legacy, a 2008 documentary film follows his influence on Brazilian jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts over a ten-year period, showing the origins of the sport from its bare knuckle days to the explosion of the sport in both Japan and America. In honor of his achievements and contributions to the sport, Gracie was inducted into the ADCC Hall of Fame on February 21, 2022. On January 18, 2023, Gracie was presented with his coral belt in Abu Dhabi by Rickson Gracie.

People

Pantheon has 189 people classified as Brazilian athletes born between 1927 and 2008. Of these 189, 186 (98.41%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Brazilian athletes include Vanderlei de Lima, Joaquim Cruz, and Torben Grael. The most famous deceased Brazilian athletes include Adhemar da Silva, Nelson Prudêncio, and João Carlos de Oliveira. As of April 2024, 168 new Brazilian athletes have been added to Pantheon including Glover Teixeira, Renzo Gracie, and Ágatha Bednarczuk.