Swimming

“From Leme to Pontal there’s nothing else the same,” sang Tim Maia in the 1980s, praising the beauty of Rio’s waterfront, even more impressive when admired from the sea. The combination of the stunning landscape with the vast stretch of ocean made the city the birthplace of swimming in Brazil.

Map showing the route of the open-water marathon from Leme to Pontal – Photo taken from the SWIM Channel website

Image description: The image is a map showing the swimming route from Praia do Leme to Pontal. The spatial layout goes from left to right, starting with Pontal beach, passing through São Conrado, Leblon, Ipanema, Leme, until reaching Praia do Leme. The colors are predominantly beige and blue, representing land and sea areas respectively. There is no additional text beyond the names of the beaches and locations mentioned.

Swimming as a sport emerged in the country in the late 19th century, in Guanabara Bay. Since 1810, Rio residents had been bathing in the sea, but only for prophylactic purposes. It was only starting in 1850 that some bathing clubs began offering lessons for members who wanted to learn how to swim and gain more autonomy in open waters.

The 14/02/1896 edition of the newspaper “O Paiz, brought news of the opening of the Clube de Natação, stating: “a hygienic, wholesome, and above all, most useful kind of sport has begun.” Some events had already taken place in Brazilian waters, such as the Niterói-to-Rio de Janeiro crossings organized by Clube de Boiton, founded in 1877. However, it was the Clube de Natação that held the first competitions, among them the Brazilian Championship (1898), a 1,500m race for men, with no set stroke, starting at the Forte de Villegagnon and finishing at Praia de Santa Luzia.

Image description: The image is a black-and-white photograph of a swimmer in action. From left to right, we see the swimmer with one arm stretched forward, the body tilted back, and the head plunging into the water. The movement creates ripples on the water's surface. In the background, we see a line of floats separating the swimming lanes.

Since its debut in the Olympic Games in 1920, Brazil has competed in swimming events, but the country's first Olympic-size pool was only opened in 1935, at the headquarters of Clube de Regatas Guanabara, in Botafogo. With the arrival of swimming pools, the sport began to gain popularity.

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of an opening ceremony for an Olympic swimming pool. On the left side, we see a building with flags hanging from it. In the center, there is a large crowd of people gathered around the pool. On the right, there is a covered structure with a flag. In the background, we see a mountain covered with trees.

One of the greatest names in Brazilian swimming was São Paulo-born swimmer Maria Lenk, after whom an aquatic park in Barra da Tijuca is named. She was the first South American to take part in an Olympics (1932, Los Angeles) and went down in history for introducing the butterfly stroke at the Berlin Games (1936). She was also the first woman to serve as director of the School of Physical Education at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

Women's marathon swimming at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Ministry of Sport – Public Photo Site

Image description: This is a photograph of a women's open water swimming competition at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. From the background to the foreground, we see a canoe with two athletes rowing. In front, in the water, several swimmers are swimming toward the right. The boat has the Olympic Games symbol and the inscription "Rio 2016" on its side. The predominant colors are blue and white, with some black details.

Tetsuo Okamoto won Brazil's 1st Olympic medal, a bronze in Helsinki (1952), in the 1,500m freestyle, and the 1st gold came with César Cielo, in the 50m freestyle at the Beijing Games in 2008. To date, 13 medals have been brought home by swimmers such as Gustavo Borges, Edvaldo Valério, and Fernando Scherer. The 14th arrived thanks to the arms of a woman, Poliana Okimoto! She won bronze in the 10 km open water marathon held at Praia de Copacabana at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Poliana Okimoto, bronze medalist in the women's Marathon Swimming at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Ministry of Sports – Public Photos Website

Image description: The image is a photograph of a smiling woman holding a bronze medal inscribed "Rio 2016." She is wearing a fluorescent green jacket with blue and yellow details, and has a blue ribbon with the Olympic symbol. The woman has her hair pulled back in a bun and is smiling broadly. In the background, there is a blurred crowd.