Thiago Pereira

Thiago Pereira is a retired Brazilian swimmer, born on 26 January 1986 and known as one of the finest swimmers Brazil has produced. He specialised in the individual medley. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London he won the silver medal in the 400-metre individual medley, finishing ahead of the defending Olympic champion Michael Phelps. He swam at three consecutive Olympic Games from 2004 and set a short course world record in the 200-metre individual medley in 2007, along with several South American and Brazilian records. His career at the Pan American Games was exceptional: after a silver in the 200-metre individual medley in 2003 he won six gold medals at Rio de Janeiro in 2007, a record for one edition, and by 2015 he had 23 medals at the Games, more than any athlete before him. He is regarded as the successor to Ricardo Prado in Brazilian swimming.