Густаву Франса Боржес: Бразилияның жүзу спортының жұлдызы

Brazilian swimmer
the Brazilian comics writer

Gustavo França Borges (born December 2, 1972) is a Brazilian former competitive swimmer. He swam for Brazil in the Summer Olympic Games in: 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004. Borges has won the second most Olympic medals of any Brazilian, with fourone in 1992, two in 1996 and one in 2000behind sailors Robert Scheidt and Torben Grael. He also has the third most Pan American Games gold medals of any Brazilian, with eightbehind swimmer Thiago Pereira and table tennis player Hugo Hoyama. Borges was Brazil's flagbearer for the Closing Ceremony at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Borges' first medal was silver, which he won in the 100 meter freestyle at the 1992 Olympics, which he received after a delay because his lane's timer was not working, and the judges had to review video recordings of the race to verify his place. Borges even overcame his idol, Matt Biondi, to win the silver medal. Borges lives in São Paulo, where he runs his own swimming school. He used to live in the United States in Jacksonville, Florida and in Ann Arbor, Michigan while he was still a student. He attended university at the University of Michigan in the mid 1990s, where he swam for the university's team, coached by Jon Urbanchek and graduated with a degree in Economics. His teammates at Michigan included Eric Namesnik and Marcel Wouda in the mid 1990s.

Borges was born in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, but lived in Ituverava throughout his childhood. In 1981, at the age of nine, he represented his school, coming third place in a race of 50 meter freestyle, his first podium finish. Before this, he had participated in swimming lessons at Associação Atlética Ituveravense. In 1984, in São João da Boa Vista, Gustavo won his first medal in official competitions in a 100 meter breaststroke race. Borges was a runner up of the São Paulo state, and runner up of the Teto Olímpico at breaststroke, category 11/12 years. Borges won his first important international medals in the 1991 Pan American Games in Havana. He won the 100 meter freestyle where he set a Pan Am Games record, and was silver medalist in 200 meter freestyle and bronze in the 50 meter freestyle, breaking the South American record. He also won gold in the 4×100 meter freestyle, and silver in the 4×200 meter freestyle. losing the gold to Alexander Popov. Borges was ranked sixth in the 4×100 meter freestyle, seventh in the 4×200 meter freestyle, 13th in the 50 meter freestyle and 22nd in the 200 meter freestyle.

In 1993, Borges broke three world records on the short course. The first was on July 2, at the Jose Finkel Trophy in Santos, Brazil. Borges's time was 47.94 seconds in the 100 metre freestyle, setting a record that lasted until January 1, 1994, when it broken by Alexander Popov. On July 7, the Brazilian team comprising Fernando Scherer, Teófilo Ferreira, José Carlos Souza and Gustavo Borges broke the world record in the 4×100 meter freestyle with a time of 3:13.97; the previous record time of 3:14.00. had been set by Sweden on March 19, 1989. On December 5, Brazil again beat the world record with the same team, with a time of 3:12.11.

1995 was an important year for Borges. In March at the 1995 Pan American Games held in Argentina, he became two time champion of the 100 meter freestyle and won gold in the 200 meter freestyle, both with Pan Am Games records. He won two more silver medals in the 4×100 meter and 4×200 meter freestyle events. In August, he went to the 1995 Summer Universiade, where he won two silver medals in the 100 meter freestyle and 4×100 meter freestyle. At the end of the year, at the 1995 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) in Rio de Janeiro, Borges became two time 4×100 meter freestyle champion. He also won the 200 meter freestyle gold, breaking the South American record, with a time of 1:45.55, silver in the 100 meter freestyle and bronze in the 4×200 meter freestyle.

Borges participated in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, and became the first Brazilian to win three Olympic medals, a feat achieved by Torben Grael in the same games. Borges won the silver medal in the 200 meter freestyle with a time of 1:48.08, and bronze in the 100 meter freestyle with a time of 49.02 seconds, both South American records. The 100 meter freestyle record was only beaten by Fernando Scherer in August 1998, and the 200 metre freestyle was only beaten by Rodrigo Castro in 2008. Borges also finished fourth in the 4×100 meter freestyle and 12th in the 50 meter freestyle. At the end of 1998, Borges was part of the Brazilian team which broke its third consecutive world record in the 4×100 metre freestyle relay on short course. On December 20, shortly after the end of the Jose Finkel Trophy, Fernando Scherer, Carlos Jayme, Alexandre Massura and Gustavo Borges, in order, fell the pool at Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama with a time of 3:10.45, which would only be broken in 2000 by the Swedish team. At the same tournament, Borges also broke the South American record in the 100 meter freestyle in short course with a time of 47.14 seconds and the 200 meter freestyle record with a time of 1:44.40the last record breaking swims of his career.

In the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Borges led Brazil to its best Pan American Games swimming result of all time. In the 4×100 meter medley, a team comprising Borges, Alexandre Massura, Fernando Scherer and Marcelo Tomazini won the medley relay for the first time in the Pan's history with a time of 3:40.27, breaking the Pan American Games and South American records and securing a place in the 2000 Summer Olympics. He also won the gold in the 200 meter freestyle and 4×100 meter freestylebreaking the South American recordsilver in the 4×200 meter freestylealso breaking the South American recordbronze in the 100 meter freestyle, and finished fourth in the 50 meter freestyle. In this tournament, he joined Hugo Hoyama and Claudio Kano as Brazilians who won the most gold medals in the event's history, with seven each. Borges also broke the national record for medals at the Games, with 15l. This year, Borges' first son, Luiz Gustavo, was born. He also finished fourth in the 4×200 meter freestyle, with a time of 0.4s, which won him the bronze medal. Borges was in fifth place in the 4×100 meter freestyle, seventh place in the 100 metre freestyle and seventh place in the 4×100 metre medley In this tournament, Borges brokefor the last time in his careerthe South American record in short course in the 4×200 meter freestyle, with a time of 7:09.14, and in the 4×100 meter medley with 3:35.59.

In July, at the 2003 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, Borges was in the 4×100 meter freestyle team, which finished in 12th place' He was also in teams for the 4×200 meter freestylewhich finished ninth and the 4×100 meter medleywhich finished 17th. In August 2003 at the age of 30, Borges took part in the 2003 Pan American Gameshis fourth and final Pan American Gameswhich were held in Santo Domingo. He established himself as the greatest Brazilian medalist in the history of the tournament, having won 19 podium finishes, eight gold medals, eight silver and three bronze. In these Games, Borges helped Brazil's swimming team to win 21 medalsa record. Borges won gold in the 4×100 meter freestyle, silver in 4×200 meter freestyle, and bronze in the 100 meter freestyle. Also in 2003, Borges launches a book titled "Lessons from the water". He also became an entrepreneur, managing the Gustavo Borges Natação e Fitness in Curitiba.

In 2012, Borges joined the International Swimming Hall of Fame, becoming the second Brazilian to be honored by the institution – the first was Maria Lenk in 1988.