João Gonçalves Filho

João Gonçalves Filho
Personal information
Born(1934-12-07)7 December 1934
Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
Died27 June 2010(2010-06-27) (aged 75)
São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight81 kg (179 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesBackstroke, Freestyle
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing  Brazil
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place 1951 Buenos Aires 4 x 200 m freestyle
Men's Water polo
Representing  Brazil
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1963 São Paulo Water polo
Silver medal – second place 1967 Winnipeg Water polo
Bronze medal – third place 1959 Chicago Water polo
In this Portuguese name, the second or paternal family name is Gonçalves. "Filho" is a generational suffix meaning "son", which is used for someone whose name is the same as their father, like "Jr." in English.

João Gonçalves Filho (7 December 1934 – 27 June 2010) was a Brazilian sportsman. He competed in five Olympic Games in both swimming and water polo. Born in Rio Claro, São Paulo, he represented Brazil in swimming at the 1952 and 1956 Olympics and in water polo at the 1960, 1964, and 1968 Olympics.[1]

Gonçalves swam for Fluminense Football Club, where he met future wife Wilma, part of the club's diving team. He studied Physical Education in the military academy alongside future Olympic track and field champion Adhemar da Silva, becoming a judo enthusiast and black belt.[2]

At the inaugural Pan American Games in 1951, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he won a silver medal in the 4×200-metre freestyle, along with Aram Boghossian, Ricardo Capanema, and Tetsuo Okamoto.[3] At the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, he swam the 100-metre backstroke and the 4×200-metre freestyle, not reaching the final.[1]

At the 1955 Pan American Games in Mexico City, he finished 4th in the 100-metre backstroke,[4] and 4th in the 4 × 100-metre medley.[5] The following year, at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, he swam the 100-metre backstroke, not reaching the final.[1]

Afterwards, Gonçalves moved to Esporte Clube Pinheiros in São Paulo, where he practiced water polo and attended law school at Mackenzie Presbyterian University. For extra earnings, he also became a trucker.[2] He won the bronze medal at the 1959 Pan American Games in Chicago,[1][6][7] a gold medal at the 1963 Pan American Games in São Paulo,[1][8][9] and a silver at the 1967 Pan American Games in Winnipeg.[1][10][11]

At Rome 1960, Tokyo 1964 and Mexico City 1968, he finished 13th with the Brazilian Water Polo team.[1] He was given the honour to carry the national flag of Brazil at the opening ceremony of the 1968 Summer Olympics, becoming the tenth water polo player to be a flag bearer at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics.[12][1] Retired from practicing sports, Gonçalves Filho became a judo coach, first for Esporte Clube Pinheiros and eventually the Brazilian national team starting in 1978. He advocated weightlifting and extensive training to ensure the Brazilian got physiques matching the Eastern European ones. Gonçalves attended the Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996, seeing Pinheiros judoka Aurélio Miguel win a bronze medal in the latter. Other three Brazilian medallists in Judo, Douglas Vieira, Tiago Camilo, and Leandro Guilheiro, also trained under Gonçalves. He died in June 2010, of liver failure during a femur surgery.[13][2] His grandson, Gustavo Guimarães, follows his legacy and is part of the current Brazilian water polo team.[14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "João Gonçalves Filho". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  2. ^ a b c O Herói Oculto, Trip
  3. ^ "Brazil medals at 1951 Pan". UOL (in Portuguese). 2007. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  4. ^ "O GLOBO News Archive - March 24, 1955, Morning, General, page 12". O GLOBO. Archived from the original on 9 September 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  5. ^ "O GLOBO News Archive - March 22, 1955, Morning, General, page 12". O GLOBO. Archived from the original on 13 September 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  6. ^ "Brazil medals at 1959 Pan". UOL (in Portuguese). 2007. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  7. ^ "Brazilian medalists at 1959 Pan". Folha de S.Paulo (in Portuguese). 2007. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  8. ^ "Brazil medals at 1963 Pan". UOL (in Portuguese). 2007. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  9. ^ "Brazilian medalists at 1963 Pan". Folha de S.Paulo (in Portuguese). 2007. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  10. ^ "Brazil medals at 1967 Pan". UOL (in Portuguese). 2007. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  11. ^ "Brazilian medalists at 1967 Pan". Folha de S.Paulo (in Portuguese). 2007. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  12. ^ Brazil. Olympics at Sport-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Accessed 25 October 2011.
  13. ^ "Dies, aged 75, former Olympian João Gonçalves Filho". UOL. 28 June 2010. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  14. ^ Revelação do polo aquático quer honrar avô que foi a sete Olimpíadas
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