Daniel Dias

{{Infobox swimmer

| name = Daniel Dias

| image = 25th Laureus World Sports Awards - Red Carpet - Daniel Dias - 240422 180020 (cropped).jpg

| caption = Dias at the 25th Laureus World Sports Awards in 2024

| full_name = Daniel de Faria Dias

| nickname = Dani

| nationality = Brazilian

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1988|5|24}}

| birth_place = Campinas, São Paulo

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height =

| weight =

| website = {{URL|www.danieldias.esp.br/}}

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry|{{BRA}}}}

{{MedalCount|total=yes

|Paralympic Games |14|7|6

|World Championships |31|7|2

|Parapan American Games |33|0|0

}}

| show-medals = no

}}

Daniel de Faria Dias (born 24 May 1988) is a Brazilian Paralympic swimmer. Having learnt to swim in 2004 after being inspired by Clodoaldo Silva at the 2004 Summer Paralympics, he entered his first international competition two years later winning five medals. He competed in a wide range of swimming events at the 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020 Paralympics and won 27 medals, including 14 gold medals.{{cite web |url=https://www.rio2016.com/en/paralympics/athlete/daniel-dias |title=Daniel Dias |website=Rio2016.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160922203954/https://www.rio2016.com/en/paralympics/athlete/daniel-dias |archive-date=22 September 2016}}

Early life

Dias was born in 1988 in Campinas, a city to the north of São Paulo. He was born with malformed upper and lower limbs.{{cite web |title=Athlete of the Month: August 2010: Daniel Dias |url=https://www.paralympic.org/athlete-month/daniel-dias-athlete-month-august-2010 |publisher=International Paralympic Committee |access-date=18 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180513185634/https://www.paralympic.org/athlete-month/daniel-dias-athlete-month-august-2010 |archive-date=13 May 2018 |url-status=live}} Dias began swimming at the age of 16, after being inspired by Clodoaldo Silva competing at the 2004 Summer Paralympics,{{cite web |title=Daniel Dias Biography |url=https://www.paralympic.org/Athletes/Biographies?athlete=Daniel%20Dias |publisher=IPC |access-date=18 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208123924/https://www.paralympic.org/Athletes/Biographies?athlete=Daniel%20Dias |archive-date=8 December 2017 |url-status=live}} and learned four styles of swimming in two months. He studied mechatronical engineering and physical education at the Universidade São Francisco.

Career

His first major event was the 2006 IPC Swimming World Championships in Durban, South Africa. He won the gold medal in three events, and a silver medal in a further two. At the age of 20, he competed in his first Paralympic Games at Beijing in 2008. The Games proved highly successful for Dias, who won more medals than any other athlete. He received a total of nine medals including four golds, four silvers, and one bronze across a range of different distances and disciplines.{{cite news |title=Daniel Dias |url=https://www.laureus.com/content/daniel-dias |access-date=18 April 2018 |newspaper=Laureus |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324040954/https://www.laureus.com/content/daniel-dias |archive-date=24 March 2018 |url-status=live}}

Dias won the Laureus Award in 2009 for Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability,{{cite news |title=Daniel Dias Wins Laureus Award 2009 |url=http://www.paralympic.org/press-release/daniel-dias-wins-laureus-award-2009 |access-date=31 July 2012 |website=Paralympic.org |date=15 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120912045614/http://www.paralympic.org/press-release/daniel-dias-wins-laureus-award-2009 |archive-date=12 September 2012 |url-status=live}} being awarded it by British athlete Sebastian Coe at a ceremony in London.{{cite news |title=Rio 2016 ambassador Daniel Dias wins 2009 Laureus Disability Award |url=http://en.olympic.cn/news/olympic_news/2009-06-16/1821810.html |access-date=18 April 2018 |publisher=Chinese Olympic Committee |date=16 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304111135/http://en.olympic.cn/news/olympic_news/2009-06-16/1821810.html |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=live}} Dias was an ambassador for his country's bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, and was present for the presentation of the Candidature File to the International Olympic Committee.

File:Daniel Dias 2012.jpg after winning six gold medals in the 2012 Paralympics]]

Dias won the Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability for the second time in 2012 after winning 6 gold medals all in world record time at the 2012 Paralympic Games.{{cite news |url=https://www.laureus.com/news/laureus-world-sports-awards-2013-winners |title=World Sports Awards 2013: The Winners |publisher=Laureus |date=11 March 2013 |access-date=18 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927204314/https://www.laureus.com/news/laureus-world-sports-awards-2013-winners |archive-date=27 September 2018 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |url=https://www.paralympic.org/news/dias-wins-second-laureus-world-sports-award |title=Dias wins second Laureus World Sports Award |publisher=IPC |date=12 March 2013 |access-date=18 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180419061958/https://www.paralympic.org/news/dias-wins-second-laureus-world-sports-award |archive-date=19 April 2018 |url-status=live}}

{{As of|February 2013}}, he holds IPC long course swimming world records in all strokes, at a range of distances – 50, 100 and 200 metre freestyle (S5), 50 and 100 metres backstroke (S5), 50 and 100 metres butterfly (S5), 50 and 100 metres breaststroke (SB4) and 200 metre individual medley (SM5).{{cite web |url=https://db.ipc-services.org/sdms/web/record/sw/pdf/type/PR/category/LC/gender/M |title=IPC Swimming World Records – Long Course |publisher=IPC |access-date=18 April 2018}}

In 2016 he was compared to Michael Phelps, a retired non-Paralympic American competitive swimmer. Despite such an honorable comparison Daniel Dias said that he is Daniel Dias.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/09/09/brazilian-paralympic-swimmer-on-being-compared-to-michael-phelps-im-daniel-dias/?noredirect=on |author=Marissa Payne |title=Brazilian Paralympic swimmer on being compared to Michael Phelps: 'I'm Daniel Dias' |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=9 September 2016 |access-date=18 April 2018}}

References

External links

{{Official website|http://www.danieldias.esp.br/}} {{in lang|pt-br}}
{{IPC|daniel-dias|id2=681228&WinterGames=-1}}

{{succession box|title=World Disabled Swimmer of the Year|before={{flagicon|AUS}} Matthew Cowdrey
{{flagicon|AUS}} Matthew Cowdrey|after={{flagicon|AUS}} Matthew Cowdrey
{{flagicon|USA}} Ian Silverman|years=2009–2011
2013}}

{{succession box|before={{flagicon|RSA}} Oscar Pistorius|title=Laureus World Sportsperson with a Disability of the Year|years=2013|after={{flagicon|FRA}} Marie Bochet

}}

Category:1988 births

Category:Living people

Category:Paralympic gold medalists for Brazil

Category:Paralympic silver medalists for Brazil

Category:Paralympic bronze medalists for Brazil

Category:Paralympic swimmers for Brazil

Category:Laureus World Sports Awards winners

Category:World record holders in paralympic swimming

Category:Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Paralympics

Category:Swimmers at the 2012 Summer Paralympics