< back
Brandonn ALMEIDA
Sport Swimming
NOC Brazil   
GenderMen
Born16 Mar 1997 in São Paulo, BRA
Height1.86 m
Weight 73 kg
 Human Interest 
Further Personal Information
Residence
São Paulo, BRA
Sport Specific Information
Club / Team
SESI: São Bernardo do Campo, BRA
General Interest
Famous relatives
His younger brother Bruce has competed in swimming at national junior level. (globoesporte.globo.com, 08 Apr 2015)
Sport Specific Information
Why this sport?
He went to a swim class at the gym his brother attended and enjoyed it.
General Interest
Hero / Idol
Brazilian Formula 1 racer Ayrton Senna, Brazilian swimmers Cesar Cielo and Tiago Pereira. (olimpiadatododia.com.br, 19 Apr 2021)
Sport Specific Information
Name of coach
Carlos Henrique Matheus [personal], BRA, from 2019
When and where did you begin this sport?
He began swimming at age three.
Further Personal Information
Languages
English, Portuguese
General Interest
Nicknames
Tsunami (caindonaagua.final.com.br, 26 Apr 2015)
Other information
SOUTH CAROLINA EXPERIENCE
In 2017 he joined the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC, United States of America. The university's associate head coach, Mark Bernardino, was impressed by his performance at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, ON, Canada, and he introduced himself to Almeida. A year later Almeida joined the university, but some disagreements with the National Collegiate Athletic Association [NCAA] over his eligibility paperwork meant he was only able to compete in three meets during the 2017/18 season. He returned to Brazil in 2018. “I loved the experience of being in South Carolina. It made me feel a lot of new experiences, like how it [swimming] is in the United States, how is it to study and be a student-athlete. I had a lot of troubles with the NCAA and I couldn't swim dual meets, so that's why I didn't swim. I had a great experience at South Carolina. I made a lot of friends.” (swimmingworldmagazine.com, 07 Jul 2020)

NAME ORIGIN
He was named after actor and martial artist Brandon Lee, while his younger brother Bruce is named after actor and martial artist Bruce Lee. His older brother Barkley is named after US basketballer Charles Barkley. "My mother is very fond of different names and also sport. My father was a martial arts fan, watched many movies. So, they decided to do the honours. I like the name. I think it's pretty cool." (globoesporte.globo.com, 04 Mar 2015)

STARTING BLOCK HONOUR
One of the starting blocks in the swimming pool of Brazilian club Corinthians is named in his honour. (sportv.globo.com, 04 Nov 2019)
Awards and honours
While at the University of South Carolina in the United States of America, he was named to the 2018 South Eastern Conference [SEC] Second-Team and the All-Freshman Team. He was also named 2018 Scholar All-American by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America [CSCAA]. (gamecocksonline.com, 2018)
Further Personal Information
Occupation
Athlete

 Competition Highlights
Olympic Games
Rank Year Venue Event Result
Heats 2016 Rio de Janeiro, BRA 1500m Freestyle 15:14.73
Heats 2016 Rio de Janeiro, BRA 400m Individual Medley 4:17.25
World Championships
Rank Year Venue Event Result
Heats 2019 Gwangju, KOR 400m Individual Medley 4:15.92
7 2017 Budapest, HUN 400m Individual Medley 4:13.00
Heats 2017 Budapest, HUN 400m Freestyle 3:49.61
World Championships Short Course
Rank Year Venue Event Result
7 2021 Abu Dhabi, UAE 400m Individual Medley 4:08.77
3 2018 Hangzhou, CHN 400m Individual Medley 4:03.71
9 2016 Windsor, ON, CAN 400m Individual Medley 4:06.09 
Pan American Games
Rank Year Venue Event Result
6 2023 Santiago, CHI 200m Backstroke 2:01.56 
3 2023 Santiago, CHI 400m Individual Medley 4:18.74
6 2019 Lima, PER 200m Backstroke 2:01.51
3 2019 Lima, PER 400m Individual Medley 4:21.10