Thiago Pereira has announced his retirement, ending the career of one of Brazil’s most-decorated swimmers of all-time.
Pereira will announce his retirement tonight at a party honoring Brazil’s top Olympians. Brazil’s GloboEsporte reports that the 31-year-old Pereira plans to announce his retirement at the event, which takes place Wednesday night in Rio de Janeiro. The party is organized by the Brazilian Olympic committee, per Brazil’s ZH Sports.
Pereira was the Olympic silver medalist in the 400 IM in 2012, beating out Michael Phelps for that spot. He competed in four consecutive Olympics, representing Brazil in Athens in 2004, Beijing in 2008, London in 2012 and at the nation’s home Olympics in Rio in 2016. Last summer, Pereira finished 7th in the 200 IM, marking four straight Olympic finals he had qualified for.
Maybe Pereira’s most memorable achievement will be his 23 medals at the Pan American Games, the most of any athlete in any sport in history. 15 of those medals are gold, including 6 each from 2007 and 2011. He won those 23 medals over the course of 12 years and four different Pan Ams events: 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015.
An athletics icon in his home country, Pereira was most recently in the news being honored with a life-size statue in his hometown. His retirement at the age of 31 means the international IM fields will open up dramatically for new faces, with Pereira and Phelps now retired after almost two decades apiece of dominating international finals, plus Ryan Lochte suspended for this coming summer and on the wrong side of 30 as well.
One of the best IMers in history – just overshadowed by the two greatest.
A 1:55 in 200IM, that is a remarkable feat when you have GOAT and Lochte competing alongside through the years.
I will never forget the way the crowd roared in Rio for his 200 IM against the GOAT – he died hard, but he died in glory that night
One can only dream of having that kind ovation and energy directed at you. Gave me chills watching it live
One can dream, another will live.
And then he invited Lochte out. smh
Same. TEE AAAAH GOOOO.
He was bad anyway
are you better than him?
ttyl
And you are officially a clown. An ingrate who has clearly achieved little to nothing. A classless troll who attempts to belittle a national hero of Brazil. Thiago is an unbelievable swimmer and a true gentleman in the sport of swimming.
Go climb back under your troll rock and stop wasting our time
hoya
Multiple World/Olympic medals, 1:55 200 IM, 4:08 400 IM, and one of the few people that could challenge Phelps and Lochte in an IM? He was not bad, not bad at all
He was the best IMER behind Phelps and Lochte !!!!
Cseh by far. He actually beat Lochte on multiple occasions. Triple silver medalist in Beijing behind the GOAT.