Brazil sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, in August 2008. Brazilian athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games since 1920, except the 1928 Summer Olympics. The country is represented by the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB – Comitê Olímpico Brasileiro). Brazil headed to the Beijing Games with its largest Olympic delegation at the time, 277 athletes, including 132 women.
The 17 medals won by Brazil topped the previous medal count record set in 1996, and included the first individual medal and the first individual gold earned by women, by judoka Ketleyn Quadros and jumper Maurren Maggi, respectively. Three of the medals were gold, by Maggi, swimmer César Cielo and the female volleyball team.
Brazil won the first medal ever in taekwondo, when Natália Falavigna won the bronze medal in women's +67 kg. Brazil also won its first gold medal ever in swimming, achieved by César Cielo in men's 50 m freestyle.
Summary Brazil was the 39th nation to enter the Beijing National Stadium during the Olympic opening ceremony. Sailor Robert Scheidt (1996, 2000 and 2004 medalist) was the flag bearer at the opening ceremony.
The swimmer César Cielo was the first Brazilian swimmer to be gold medalist, when he conquered the gold medal in men's 50 m freestyle, with an Olympic record. Raised to the post of new hero of the national sport, he had previously won in Beijing the bronze medal in the 100 m freestyle a result that confirmed his position of new standout in the tests of speed of swimming.
The jumper Maurren Maggi reached 7.04m in the final of the women's long jump and surpassed, in just one centimeter, the Russian Tatyana Lebedeva. Maurren won gold and became the first Brazilian woman in history to win the gold medal, not only in Athletics but also in an individual event of any sport in the Olympic Games. Maurren Maggi, was the flag bearer at the 2008 Summer Olympics closing ceremony.
It was also in 2008 Summer Olympics that one of the most popular sports in Brazil finally saw women win Olympic gold: the volleyball. Four years earlier, in Athens, the Brazil women's national volleyball team, led by coach José Roberto Guimarães, champion with the men's team at the 1992 Barcelona Games, had been very close to the dreamy Olympic decision when, in the semifinal against Russia, got the advantage of 24/19 in the fourth set (the Brazilians led by 2 sets to 1). Incredibly, although it needed just one more point to close the match, the Brazilians allowed a spectacular turn of the Russians in the fourth set. Not only did they lose that quarter-final by 28/26, like the game after a 16/14 loss in the tie-break. They would also lose the bronze medal for the Cuba. The trauma of Athens, however, was completely erased in Beijing. With a perfect campaign of eight wins, highlighted by the statistics of only one set lost in all the tournament, Brazil was the champion by defeating the United States in the decision by 3 to 1. José Roberto Guimarães entered history as the only coach to have taken a male and a female teams Olympic gold.
The Brazil men's national volleyball team was silver medalist of the tournament, losing the gold medal match by 3 to 1 to United States. In the beach volleyball two medals were conquered in the men's tournament. Márcio Araújo and Fábio Luiz Magalhães were silver medalists, losing the gold medal match to Americans Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser. The bronze medal was obtained by Ricardo Santos and Emanuel Rego.
At the football the Brazil women's national football team won the silver medal. The team advanced to the final against United States and lost by 1–0 at extra time. The Brazil national under-23 football team was the bronze medalist in the men's tournament.
The sailors Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada were silver medalists in Star class. This was Robert Scheidt's fourth of his 5 Olympic medals. Also in the sailing, Fernanda Oliveira and Isabel Swan were the bronze medalists in Women's 470 class, becoming the first Brazilian women to win an Olympic medal in sailing.
Brazilian judokas won three more podiums for Brazil. Leandro Guilheiro was the bronze medalist in men's 73 kg while Thiago Camilo won the bronze in men's 81 kg category. Ketleyn Quadros was the bronze medalist in women's 57 kg. She was the first Brazilian judoka woman to win an Olympic medal and also the first Brazilian woman to conquer a medal in an individual sport.
The taekwondo athlete Natália Falavigna won the bronze medal in women's +67 kg category. This was the first Olympic medal ever won by Brazil in the Taekwondo.
Finally two more bronze medals were awarded to Brazilian athletes, several years after the 2008 Summer Olympics, due to doping violations. Both medals were in the athletics. Originally won by Russia, the gold medal of women's 4 × 100 m relay was stripped due to anti-doping rules violation by Yulia Chermoshanskaya. Following medals reallocation, Belgium was awarded gold, Nigeria – silver and Brazil – bronze. Rosemar Coelho Neto, Lucimar de Moura, Thaissa Presti and Rosângela Santos received the bronze medals in March 2017 at the Prêmio Brasil Olímpico ceremony in Rio de Janeiro.
Jamaican team originally won gold medals in Men's 4 × 100 m relay but was disqualified due to anti-doping rules violation by Nesta Carter. The Court of Arbitration for Sport decided in 2018 that Trinidad and Tobago is the winner, the silver medal was reallocated to Japan and the bronze to Brazil team, which was formed by sprinters Vicente de Lima, Sandro Viana, Bruno de Barros and José Carlos Moreira.
Medalists
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Medal Name Sport Event Date Swimming Men's 50 m freestyle Athletics Women's long jump Brazil women's national volleyball team Volleyball Women's tournament Sailing Star class Brazil women's national football team Football Women's tournament Volleyball Men's beach volleyball Brazil men's national volleyball team Volleyball Men's tournament Judo Men's 73 kg Judo Women's 57 kg Judo Men's 81 kg Swimming Men's 100 m freestyle Sailing Women's 470 class Volleyball Men's beach volleyball Brazil U-23 national football team Football Men's tournament Rosemar Coelho NetoLucimar de MouraThaissa PrestiRosângela Santos Athletics Women's 4 × 100 m relay Vicente de LimaSandro VianaBruno de BarrosJosé Carlos Moreira Athletics Men's 4 × 100 m relay Taekwondo Women's +67 kg | style="text-align:left; width:22%; vertical-align:top;"|
Medals by sportSport TotalVolleyball1214Athletics1023Swimming1012Football0112Sailing0112Judo0033Taekwondo0011Total341017
Medals by dateDate Total9 Aug000010 Aug000011 Aug002212 Aug001113 Aug000014 Aug001115 Aug000016 Aug100117 Aug000018 Aug001119 Aug000020 Aug000021 Aug020222 Aug114623 Aug101224 Aug0101Total341017
Medals by genderGender TotalMale13610Female2147Mixed0000Total 3 4 10 17
Multiple medallist
The following competitor won several medals at the 2008 Olympic Games. Name Medal Sport Event César Cielo Swimming Men's 50 metre freestyleMen's 100 metre freestyle
Archery
Luiz Trainini qualified by placing third at the Pan American Continental Qualification Tournament, held in San Salvador, El Salvador, October 2007.
AthleteEventRanking roundRound of 64Round of 32Round of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal / ScoreSeedOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreRankLuiz TraininiMen's individual61061 (4)L 99–116Did not advance
Athletics
Men Track & road events AthleteEventHeatQuarterfinalSemifinalFinalResultRankResultRankResultRankResultRankVicente de Lima100 m10.263 Q10.317Did not advanceJosé Carlos Moreira10.293 Q10.326Did not advanceSandro Viana100 m10.606Did not advance200 m20.844 Q21.077Did not advanceBruno de Barros200 m21.155Did not advanceFernando de Almeida400 m46.605colspan=2 Did not advanceKléberson Davide800 m1:48.535colspan=2 Did not advanceFabiano Peçanha800 m1:46.544colspan=2 Did not advanceHudson de Souza1500 m3:37.067colspan=2 Did not advanceAnselmo da Silva110 m hurdles13.814 Q13.847Did not advanceMahau Suguimati400 m hurdles49.453 Q50.167Did not advanceJosé Alessandro Bagio20 km walkcolspan=6 1:21:4314Mário dos Santos50 km walkcolspan=6 4:10:2541Franck CaldeiraMarathoncolspan=6 José TelesMarathoncolspan=6 2:20:2538Marílson dos Santoscolspan=6 Bruno de BarrosVicente de LimaJosé Carlos MoreiraSandro Viana4 × 100 m relay39.014 Qcolspan=4 38.24
Field events AthleteEventQualificationFinalDistancePositionDistancePositionFábio Gomes da SilvaPole vault5.45=25Did not advanceMauro Vinícius da SilvaLong jump7.7526Did not advanceJessé de LimaHigh jump2.29=1 Q2.20=10Jadel GregórioTriple jump17.159 Q17.206Jefferson Sabino16.4528Did not advance
Combined events – Decathlon AthleteEvent 100 m 400 m 1500 mFinalRankCarlos ChininResult10.996.941.9949.21————Points86379907948510————
Women Track & road events AthleteEventHeatQuarterfinalSemifinalFinalResultRankResultRankResultRankResultRankLucimar de Moura100 m11.604 Q11.678Did not advanceEvelyn dos Santos200 m23.405Did not advanceMaria Laura Almirão400 m53.265colspan=2 Did not advanceZenaide Vieira3000 m steeplechasecolspan=4 Did not advanceMaíla Machado100 m hurdles13.457colspan=2 Did not advanceLucimar Teodoro400 m hurdles57.686colspan=2 Did not advanceTânia Spindler20 km walkcolspan=6 1:36:4637Marily dos SantosMarathoncolspan=6 2:38:1051Lucimar de MouraRosemar Coelho NetoThaissa PrestiRosângela Santos4 × 100 m relay43.383 Qcolspan=4 43.14Maria Laura AlmirãoEmmily PinheiroLucimar TeodoroJosiane Tito4 × 400 m relay3:30.106colspan=4 Did not advance
Field events AthleteEventQualificationFinalDistancePositionDistancePositionElisângela AdrianoDiscus throw58.8419Did not advanceKeila CostaLong jump6.628 Q6.4311Maurren MaggiLong jump6.792 Q7.04Gisele de OliveiraTriple jump13.8123Did not advanceFabiana MurerPole vault4.50=2 Q4.4510Alessandra ResendeJavelin throw56.5327Did not advance
Combined events – Heptathlon AthleteEvent 200 m 800 mFinalRankLucimara da SilvaResult13.551.8311.5924.566.1840.342:16.20607617*Points10431016634928905674876 * The athlete who finished in second place, Lyudmila Blonska of Ukraine, tested positive for a banned substance. Both the A and the B tests were positive, therefore Blonska was stripped of her silver medal, and da Silva moved up a position.
Basketball
Summary TeamEventGroup StageQuarterfinalSemifinalFinal / OppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreRankOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreRankBrazil women'sWomen's tournamentL 62–68L 65–80L 78–79L 64–74W 68–536Did not advance
Women's tournament Roster
Group play
Boxing
AthleteEventRound of 32Round of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinalOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultRankPaulo CarvalhoLight flyweightW 13–7W 21–12L 6–21Did not advanceRobenílson de JesusFlyweightW 13–3L 6–12Did not advanceRobson ConceiçãoFeatherweightL 4–12Did not advanceÉverton LopesLightweightL 7–9Did not advanceMyke CarvalhoLight welterweightL 11–15Did not advanceWashington SilvaLight heavyweightW 6–2W 9–7L 0–8Did not advance
Canoeing
Slalom
Women
AthleteEventPreliminarySemifinalFinalRun 1RankRun 2RankTotalRankTimeRankTimeRankTotalRankPoliana de PaulaWomen's K-1113.4716110.7217224.1914 Q168.2914Did not advance
Sprint
Men
AthleteEventHeatsSemifinalsFinalTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankNivalter SantosMen's C-1 500 m1:51.3636 QS1:56.1397Did not advanceMen's C-1 1000 m4:17.4076 QS4:12.5567Did not advance Qualification Legend: QS = Qualify to semi-final; QF = Qualify directly to final
Cycling
Road
Men
AthleteEventTimeRankMurilo FischerMen's road race6:26:1720Luciano Pagliarini7:08:2790
Women
AthleteEventTimeRankClemilda FernandesWomen's road race3:41:0151
Mountain biking
Men
AthleteEventTimeRankRubens DonizeteMen's cross-country2:05:1921
Men
AthleteEventTimeRankJaqueline MourãoWomen's cross-country (1 lap)19
Diving