The second sport that has won the most medals for Brazil in the history of the Paralympics, swimming matched the 23 podiums of the Tokyo Games in Japan in 2021 in Paris, with one day left until the end of the events in the sport. Which means that, this Friday (6), the campaign in the French capital could become the most awarded that the country has ever had in the pools. The result, however, does not surprise the main name in the history of Brazilian Paralympic sport: Daniel Dias.
For the first time since the Beijing Games in China in 2008, Daniel is not competing. Winner of 27 Paralympic medals in four participations, 14 of which were gold, he is in Paris to follow the events, cheer on his friends and produce content. Retired since 2021, when he competed in the last Paralympics of his career, the São Paulo native admits that the event still stirs his competitive side.
“It’s a mix of emotions. I confess that when you see the action, the pool, the environment, the atmosphere, you want to get on the block and go out [risos]. But then I remember what I have to go through to get the medal and I understand that everything has already been done well, and I am happy to see the new generation bringing good results and continuing”, Daniel told the reporter of Brazilian Communications Company (EBC).
As of Thursday (5), Brazil had reached the swimming podium with 13 different names in individual events, even though two athletes boosted the total number of achievements: Carol Santiago (five medals, three gold and two silver) and Gabriel Araújo (three gold). In Tokyo, despite the record for achievements in the sport being reached, there were “only” ten medalists. At the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016, eight competitors emerged victorious.
“Before the Paralympics, when people asked what we could expect from swimming, I said: ‘lots of medals and lots of different athletes’. Look how the sport has evolved. Our achievements were important, but all the movement that was made afterwards, the investment, is now bringing results. There’s Gabrielzinho, Gabriel Bandeira, Samuca [Samuel Oliveira, revelação da classe S5, a mesma que Daniel competia, para atletas com deficiências físico-motoras intermediárias]. And not just the masculine. The feminine is strong with Mariana, Cecília, Mayara [Petzold, bronze nos 50 metros borboleta da classe S6]which was a pleasant surprise. And we can’t help but mention Carol, who surpassed Ádria [dos Santos, ícone do atletismo paralímpico] in number of golds”, highlighted the idol, who also made a request to the 39-year-old swimmer, owner of six golds, three silvers and one Paralympic bronze in two participations (2021 and 2024).
“Let’s go for one more, no, no! [risos]”, he joked.
Retired from swimming, Daniel has no plans to return to the sport as a coach, nor does he consider returning to official competitions in another sport. Today, he travels around Brazil giving lectures and takes care of the institute that bears his name, founded ten years ago in Bragança Paulista (SP).
“We are promoting Paralympic sports, specifically swimming, by teaching children who don’t know how to swim. Who knows, we might even discover talents and, in a future interview, talk about a child who came from there and is bringing achievements to Brazil,” he concluded.
