Brazil competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. This was the nation's nineteenth appearance at the Summer Olympics, excluding the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. The Brazilian Olympic Committee (Portuguese: Comitê Olímpico Brasileiro, COB) sent the nation's largest ever delegation in history to the Games. A total of 243 athletes, 124 men and 119 women, competed in 24 sports.[2]
Brazil left Athens with a total of 10 medals (5 golds, 2 silver, and 3 bronze), the lowest in Summer Olympics since 1992.[3] Although the nation's final medal count could not surpass its previous records set in Atlanta (15 medals) and Sydney (12 medals), Brazil produced a record of five golds at these edition, a performance only surpassed 12 years later in Rio de Janeiro, when Brazil was the host country and won seven gold medals.
Also in the sailing, Torben Grael and Marcelo Ferreira reached gold in the Star class. Both became two-time Olympic champions since they had won in Atlanta-1996. With the achievement, Torben Grael wrote his name in history (at the time) as the greatest Olympic athlete in Brazil at all times, with five medals ( a performance also matched by Robert Scheidt 8 years later ). He is also one of the sailors with the largest number of Olympic medals at all times, along with Robert Scheidt and British Ben Ainslie.
Led by Formiga and Marta, women's national football team finally won the first Olympic medal ever. The team advanced to the final against United States. After a very tough match with a draw of 1–1 in regular time, the Americans won the gold medal match by 2–1 at extra time, leaving Brazil with the silver medal.
Brazilian judokas won two more podiums for Brazil. Leandro Guilheiro was responsible for giving the country the first medal in Athens, the bronze in men's 81 kg. The second Brazilian medal in that edition also came from judo, with the bronze of Flávio Canto, in men's 81 kg category.
In the men's marathon, one of the most remarkable scenes of the Athens 2004 Games, which gained worldwide notoriety, involved the marathon runner Vanderlei de Lima. He was leading the race, which closes the Olympics, when, at the time of the 36th of the 42 kilometers of the race, he was attacked by Irish religious fanatic Cornelius Horan. The Brazilian was pushed off the track by Cornelius. Despite that, Vanderlei returned to the race, but with the time lost in the unforeseen event, he was overtaken by the Italian Stefano Baldini and the American Mebrahtom Keflezighi. Vanderlei, meanwhile, maintained the third position and, thus, was left with the bronze medal. He was the first and so far the only Brazilian marathon runner to obtain an Olympic medal. Later, Vanderlei de Lima received the prestigious Pierre de Coubertin Medal to his achievements for sportsmanship. The medal, one of the most important awarded by the International Olympic Committee, is dedicated to athletes who value sport more than victory itself. At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Vanderlei de Lima received the honour of lighting the Olympic Flame as the final member of the torch relay.[4]
Brazilian equestrian and show jumper Rodrigo Pessoa was the originally the silver medalist in individual jumping. On October 8, 2004, the International Federation for Equestrian Sports ordered a suspension for Ireland's Cian O'Connor after his horse Waterford Crystal failed a doping test for fluphenazine and zuclopenthixol. Because O'Connor decided not to appeal and formally strip off his Olympic title in men's show jumping, silver Rodrigo Pessoa was subsequently awarded and received his gold medal at a public ceremony on Copacabana Beach in August 2005. This was the first and so far the only gold medal won by Brazil not only in Equestrian as also in a mixed Olympic event.[5]
Brazilian athletes have so far achieved qualifying standards in the following athletics events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event at the 'A' Standard, and 1 at the 'B' Standard).[6][7] Marathon runner Vanderlei de Lima was awarded a prestigious Pierre de Coubertin Medal from the International Olympic Committee for sportsmanship after being attacked by Irish protester Cornelius Horan, who pushed him off the road four miles from the finish line.[4][8]
Key
Note–Ranks given for track events are within the athlete's heat only
Brazil has qualified two teams in eventing and jumping. Show jumper Rodrigo Pessoa originally claimed a silver medal in men's show jumping. On October 8, 2004, International Federation for Equestrian Sports announced that Waterford Crystal, owned by Ireland's Cian O'Connor, failed a horse doping test for fluphenazine and zuclopenthixol that formally stripped off O'Connor's Olympic title in early 2005.[10] Pessoa was eventually presented with his gold medal at a ceremony on Copacabana Beach in August 2005.[5]
Qualification Legend: FA=Final A (medal); FB=Final B (non-medal); FC=Final C (non-medal); FD=Final D (non-medal); FE=Final E (non-medal); FF=Final F (non-medal); SA/B=Semifinals A/B; SC/D=Semifinals C/D; SE/F=Semifinals E/F; R=Repechage
Brazilian swimmers earned qualifying standards in the following events (up to a maximum of 2 swimmers in each event at the A-standard time, and 1 at the B-standard
time):
Brazil brought five veterans to the second Olympic triathlon. Once again, two triathletes did not finish (Carla Moreno started both, but finished neither).
^"Brazil – Squad List". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
^"Patras swings to Samba beat". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 16 August 2004. Archived from the original on 26 January 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
