Maria Fernanda Costa

Maria Fernanda de Oliveira da Silva Costa (born 5 September 2002) is a Brazilian swimmer. [3][4] She finished 4th in the 400m freestyle, and 5th in the 200m freestyle, at the 2024 World Championships, in Doha.[5]

Maria Fernanda Costa
Personal information
Full nameMaria Fernanda de Oliveira da Silva Costa
NicknameMafê [1]
National teamBrazil
Born (2002-09-05) 5 September 2002 (age 21)[2]
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Sport
SportSwimming
Strokesfreestyle
Medal record
Women's swimming
Representing  Brazil
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place2023 Santiago 200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place2023 Santiago 400 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2023 Santiago 4×200 m freestyle

International career

2017—20

She participated in the 2019 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships held in Budapest, Hungary.[6]

2021–24

Mafe Costa made a huge improvement when he became part of the team that trains with Fernando Possenti.[7]

In June 2023, she was Brazilian champion in the Brazil Trophy in the 200m freestyle with a time of 1:57.76 and the 400m freestyle with a time of 4:06.85.[8]

At the 2023 World Aquatics Championships held in Fukuoka, Japan, she reached the final of the Women's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay, finishing in 8th place.[9][10] She also finished 12th in the Women's 400 metre freestyle,[11] 20th in the Women's 200 metre freestyle[12] and 24th in the Women's 200 metre butterfly.[13]

At the 2023 Pan American Games held in Santiago, Chile, she won three silver medals in the Women's 400 metre freestyle with a time of 4:06.68 (near the South American record of Andreina Pinto, a time of 4:06.02), in the Women's 200 metre freestyle with a time of 1:58.12, and in the 4x200m freestyle relay where Brazil almost broke the South American record, narrowly losing to the USA. [14][15][16]

At the 2024 World Aquatics Championships, she qualified for the 400m freestyle final with the 4th best time, breaking the South American record with a time of 4:05.52. It was the first time that a Brazilian reached the final of the 400m freestyle at the World Championships - Mafê reached the final together with her compatriot Gabrielle Roncatto.[17] In the final, Mafê broke the South American record again, now with a mark of 4:02.86, finishing in 4th place, just 0.47s from bronze, this being the best result of all time for Brazilian women's swimming in World Championships. in Olympic events.[18][19][20] In the 200m freestyle, Costa clocked 1:57.11 in the semi-finals, breaking the South American record, obtaining the Olympic index and Brazil's best result in the history of this event - in the women's 200m freestyle, Brazil had never qualified anyone for a final. [21] In the 200m freestyle final, Mafê again broke her limits, once again breaking the South American record, now with a time of 1:56.85, finishing in 5th place, 0.85 seconds away from bronze.[22][23] In the 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay, the team composed of Maria Fernanda Costa, Stephanie Balduccini, Aline Rodrigues and Gabrielle Roncatto obtained a historic result, reaching 4th place, Brazil's best placement in this event at the World Championships, destroying the South American record with the mark of 7:52.71.[24][25] The quartet formed by Costa, Balduccini, Rodrigues and Ana Carolina Vieira also finished 6th in the 4x100m freestyle, equaling Brazil's best result in world championships in this event.[26]

On May 7, 2024, competing in the Brazilian Olympic Swimming Trials, she broke the South American record for the 200m freestyle with a time of 1:56.37.[27] On May 11, in the same competition, she broke the Brazilian record for the 800m freestyle with a time of 8:28.92. [28]

Personal bests

As of May 11, 2024
Long course
EventTimeMeetDateNote(s)
200 m freestyle1:56.372024 Brazilian Olympic Swimming TrialsMay 7, 2024SA
400 m freestyle4:02.862024 World ChampionshipsFebruary 11, 2024SA
800 m freestyle8:28.922024 Brazilian Olympic Swimming TrialsMay 11, 2024NR

References