Introduction
Felipe Ferreira Lima (born April 5, 1985) is a Brazilian swimmer. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he competed in the Men's 100-metre breaststroke, finishing in 8th place in his semi-final and failing to reach the final.
International career
2006–2008
Felipe Lima entered the 2006 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m), in Shanghai, where he finished 12th in the 50-metre breaststroke and 17th in the 100-metre breaststroke. At the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Victoria, he finished 16th in the 100-metre breaststroke.
Lima previously held the South American record for the 4×100-metre medley relay in an Olympic sized pool, with a time of 3:39.30, obtained in September 9, 2006 in Rio de Janeiro with Leonardo Guedes, Fernando Silva and César Cielo. He also broke the South American record in the 100-metre breaststroke, in a time of 1:01.56 on September 10, 2006, at the same competition in Rio, making him the first swimmer from Mato Grosso to hold a South American record in swimming. On December 16, 2006 he improved his record for the 100-metre breaststroke, doing 1:01.52.
At the 2007 World Aquatics Championships he finished 24th in the 50-metre breaststroke and 30th in the 100-metre breaststroke. Participating in the 2007 Summer Universiade in Bangkok, Thailand, Lima won the silver medal in the 50-metre breaststroke, lowering the South American record to 27.94 seconds and becoming the first man on the continent to swim below 28 seconds in that event.
At the 2007 Pan American Games, in Rio de Janeiro, Lima earned a silver medal in the 4×100-metre medley relay. He also finished 5th in the 100-metre breaststroke.
In 2008, Lima obtained an Olympic qualifying time in the Brazilian trials for the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 100-metre breaststroke, with a time of 1:01.21, but was not entered as he finished 3rd place, and only two swimmers per country can go to the Olympics. Henrique Barbosa, with 1:00.79, and Felipe França, with 1:01.17, were the swimmers selected for the Brazilian national team.
2009–2012
Lima competed at the 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Irvine, where he finished 8th in the 100-metre breaststroke, and 10th in the 50-metre breaststroke.
He competed at the 2011 World Aquatics Championships, in Shanghai, coming in 24th in the 100-metre breaststroke. At the 2011 Pan American Games, he won the silver medal in the 100-metre breaststroke and the gold medal in the 4×100-metre medley, for participating in the qualifying round.
2012 Summer Olympics
Lima first participated in the Olympics at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, where he went to the semifinal of the 100-metre breaststroke, finishing in 13th place overall.
2012–2016
In the 2012 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m), Lima obtained his best result in a World Championship, going to three finals: the 50-metre breaststroke (finished in 6th place), the 100-metre breaststroke (ranked 8th) and the 4×100-metre medley (finished in 4th position).
At the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, Lima made it to the 100-metre breaststroke final and placed fifth with a time of 59.84 seconds, breaking the 1-minute barrier for the first time. In the final, he again exceeded himself, reaching his personal best time without a high-tech suit, at 59.65 seconds, winning an historic bronze medal for Brazil. It was the first time in history that a Brazilian had won a medal in the 100-metre breaststroke at the World Championships. In the 50-metre breaststroke, he missed the World Championship final as he ran slower than in the heats, ending in 9th place. In the 4×100-metre medley he finished 12th, along with Leonardo de Deus, Marcelo Chierighini and Nicholas Santos.
At the 2014 South American Games in Santiago, Chile, Lima won two gold medals in the 100-metre breaststroke and 4×100-metre medley.
At the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Lima won the gold medal in the 4×100-metre medley relay, by participating at heats. Before, he had already won a silver medal in the 100-metre breaststroke.
At the 2015 World Aquatics Championships in Kazan, Lima finished 9th in the 4 × 100 metre mixed medley relay, along with Daynara de Paula, Daiene Dias and João de Lucca;, 10th in the Men's 4 × 100 metre medley relay., 12th in the Men's 50 metre breaststroke and 13th in the Men's 100 metre breaststroke.
On December 11, 2016, participating in the 2016 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) in Windsor, Canada, LIma won the gold medal in the 50m breaststroke final.
Records
Felipe Lima holds, or formerly held the following records:
| Race | Time | Date | Record | Pool | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 × 100 m medley | 3:39.30 | September 9, 2006 | South American | Long Course | With Leonardo Guedes, Fernando Silva and César Cielo |
| 100 m breaststroke | 1:01.52 | December 16, 2006 | South American | Long Course | |
| 100 m breaststroke | 58.86 | October 18, 2008 | South American | Short Course | |
| 50 m breaststroke | 27.58 | May 9, 2008 | South American | Long Course | |
| 50 m breaststroke | 26.61 | November 6, 2009 | South American | Short Course |