Former swimmer Adriano Gomes de Lima, 52 years old, owner of nine Paralympics medals, died on Saturday (7), in Natal (RN).including the gold medal in Athens (2004).
The former athlete had been undergoing treatment for sarcoma (bone cancer) since 2024.
The Brazilian Paralympic Committee (CPB) mourned the death of the former multi-champion swimmer considered an international reference in the sport. Adriano was champion 11 times at the Parapan-American Games.
The entity pointed out that Adriano is among the greatest Paralympic medalists in Brazilian history. In addition to the gold, he won five silvers and three bronzes in six editions of the Games. He stood on the podiums in Atlanta in 1996, Sydney in 2000, Athens in 2004, Beijing in 2008, London in 2012 and Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
The Paralympic Committee recalled that, at the opening of the Paralympic Meeting, in June last year, it celebrated the opportunities for new athletes.
“I started swimming in 1993, two years before the founding of the CPB. So I am part of this history. I say that it is no coincidence that Brazil is always among the 10 best in the Paralympic Games”, he stated.
Swimming as rehabilitation
The swimmer attributed his successes to the investment made in the sports.
Adriano came to swimming in search of rehabilitation after falling from a roof during construction work when he was 17 years old. Sport was part of his rehabilitation process.
The native of Rio Grande do Norte was among the athletes honored by the Brazilian Paralympic Committee (CPB) in 2025 during the celebrations of the entity’s 30th anniversary, due to his contribution to the development of parasport in Brazil.
