The first year after an Olympic Games is usually one of renewals, new beginnings and arrangements for a new cycle that has just begun. In this context, 2025 held many world championships in Olympic sports and, between new faces and well-known names, Brazilian athletes performed outstandingly.
The Brazil Olímpico Award, held recently in Rio de Janeiro, crowned two names who became world champions this year. Among women, Maria Clara Pacheco, from taekwondo, world champion in the category up to 57 kilos in China. Among the men who took it was Caio Bonfim, world champion in the 20-kilometer race walk in Japan (Bonfim also won silver in the 35 kilometer race at the World Cup held in Tokyo).
Brazilian boxing saw the emergence of Bia Ferreira’s successor, who headed to the professional circuit. The carioca Rebeca Lima, 25 years old, climbed to the highest place on the podium at the World Cup held in Liverpool (England). The boxer took the title in the under-60 kilos category, the same one that Bia won twice, in 2019 and in 2023.
IT’S WORLDWIDE GOLD!! 🥇🇧🇷🥊
Rebeca Lima is the new world boxing champion in the under-60kg category, bringing BRAZIL to the highest place on the podium in the first final of the day! 🚀🔥
What an immense pride to see our country shine in the ring with so much determination, heart and talent. 💚💛
YOU… pic.twitter.com/2N7eDEfQtR
— Team Brasil (@timebrasil) September 14, 2025
Other athletes came close to the world crown in 2025 and ended the year with a positive result. THE table tennis player Hugo Calderano is one of them. He was runner-up in the World Cup held in Qatar, but on the other hand he won the prestigious World Cup held in China. There were three more titles in stages of the world circuit. Furthermore, the partnership with his girlfriend Bruna Takahashi reached sixth place in the global ranking.
In rhythmic gymnastics, Brazil had a golden opportunity by hosting the World Cup in Rio de Janeiro. The team formed by Nicole Pircio, Maria Paula Carminha, Eduarda Arakaki, Sofia Madeira and Mariana Gonçalves achieved silver on two occasions: in the general competition and in the mixed series.
IT’S OFFICIAL! COME HERE! HISTORY! UNPRECEDENTED! REAL! ✨🦁
For the first time in history, Brazilian Rhythmic Gymnastics 🇧🇷 wins a medal at an Adult World Championship! 🥈🌍
And it was with THEM: It was our lionesses from the Conjunto who shone at Arena Carioca 1 and won… pic.twitter.com/D2H5LjwU1f
— Brazilian Gymnastics Confederation (@cbginastica) August 23, 2025
If the Brazilian team shined in gymnastics, other team sports did not enjoy the same success in 2025. In volleyball, the women’s team took bronze in Thailand, once again postponing the dream of an unprecedented title, while the men ended up eliminated in the first phase of the World Cup. In handball, which also had a World Cup in both suits, men and women ended up in the quarterfinals. The bottom line is that for the men’s team, seventh place was the best placement in history.
In other sports that do not have a separate competition to define the world champion, Brazil saw its athletes regain their former protagonism. In surfing, after a rare year in which there was no champion athlete on the circuit, the country returned to the top with the title of Yago Dora. With this, there are eight titles in the last eleven editions of the WSL (World Surfing League) among men. Dora joined Gabriel Medina, Adriano de Souza, Ítalo Ferreira and Filipe Toledo as Brazilian surfers with at least one world championship on their resume.
YAGO DORA IS THE WORLD CHAMPION!!!!!🇧🇷🏆
AN UNPRECEDENTED FEAT IN THE CAREER OF ONE OF THE MOST COMPLETE SURFERS IN THE WORLD.
THIS IS BRAZIL, THE WORLD CUP IS OURS! THE STORM DOESN’T STOP 💛🤩#WSLBrasil #BrazilNoWSLFinals #WSLFinalsFiji pic.twitter.com/VElXy8VUOc
— WSL Brasil 🇧🇷 (@WSLBrasil) September 2, 2025
In tennis, João Fonseca confirmed the expectations generated before the start of the season and had a great year: he jumped from 145th to 24th position in the ATP rankings (Association of Professional Tennis Players) with two level titles in Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Basel (Switzerland), as well as triumphs against more experienced tennis players and well placed in the top 25. At 19 years old, Fonseca is preparing for a challenging season, with each more and more attention focused on themselves, in addition to all the hope of a country that is looking for a new idol in sport.
