Leonardo Costa facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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| Nationality |  Brazil |
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| Born | 12 May 1977 Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil |
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| Height | 1.96 m | |||||||||||||
| Weight | 94 kg | |||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | |||||||||||||
| Strokes | Backstroke, Freestyle | |||||||||||||
| Club | Trojan Swim Club, Los Angeles | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Leonardo Jorge Costa, born on May 12, 1977, in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, is a former swimmer. He was great at both freestyle and backstroke swimming. Leonardo proudly represented Brazil at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. His most amazing achievement was winning a gold medal in the 200-meter backstroke at the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada.
Contents
Early Career Highlights
Competing in World Championships
Leonardo started competing in big events early on. In 1997, he took part in the 1997 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m). This competition uses a "short course" pool, which is 25 meters long. He swam in the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke races.
Two years later, in 1999, Leonardo went to another 1999 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) in Hong Kong. Here, he showed great improvement. He made it to the final of the 200-meter backstroke, finishing in a strong 6th place.
Pan American Games Success
Winning Medals in Winnipeg
The 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada, were a huge success for Leonardo. He won three different medals! He earned a gold medal in the 200-meter backstroke. This was a very special win.
He also won a silver medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. He swam with his teammates Gustavo Borges, Rodrigo Castro, and André Cordeiro. They set a new South American record with their time. Leonardo also took home a bronze medal in the 200-meter freestyle race.
Breaking Records and Beating Champions
Leonardo's gold medal in the 200-meter backstroke was truly remarkable. He finished with a time of 1:59.33. This time was a new South American record and a new Pan American Games record! This amazing performance also qualified him to compete in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
In that 200-meter backstroke final, Leonardo did something incredible. He defeated Aaron Peirsol. Aaron Peirsol later became a very famous swimmer. He won many Olympic medals and broke several world records in backstroke events. Leonardo's win against him was a big moment in his career.
Olympic Dream and More Records
Swimming at the Sydney Olympics
In 2000, Leonardo achieved his dream of competing in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. He represented Brazil in two events. He finished 13th in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. He also placed 14th in the 200-meter backstroke.
Setting New South American Records
Later in 2000, Leonardo continued to break records. He set a new short-course South American record in the 200-meter backstroke. He achieved this amazing time of 1:54.79 while competing for the University of Southern California (USC) at the NCAA Swimming Championships. This record stood for five years, showing how fast he was!
Life After Swimming
Today, Leonardo Costa uses his love for swimming to help others. He runs a community program called "+ Natação" (which means "+ Swimming"). This program is in the city of João Pessoa, Brazil. He teaches people from the community how to swim in the calm sea. It's a wonderful way for him to share his passion and skills.
