Geisa Coutinho
Encyclopedia
Geisa Aparecida Muniz Coutinho (born 1 June 1980) is a Brazil
ian track and field
athlete who competes in the 400 metres
sprint. She represented Brazil at the 2004 Summer Olympics
and is a three-time participant of the World Championships in Athletics (2003, 2005 and 2009). Her personal best in the 400 m is 51.08 seconds and she holds the South American record of 3:26.68 minutes for the 4×400 metres relay.
She was the South American champion
in the 400 m in 2003, the silver medallist in 2005, and the bronze medallist in 2011. With the Brazilian relay team, she has won three South American titles and a bronze at the Pan American Games
. At the 2011 Military World Games
she was a triple gold medallist, having won the 400 m, 4×100 m relay and 4×400 m relay events.
, she discovered athletics while at high school and tried the pole vault
and sprinting events. She eventually focused solely on the 400 m and moved to Rio de Janeiro
in order to train with the Vasco da Gama 16 sports club. She won her first Brazlian title in the 400 m in 2002 and went on to take three consecutive victories at the annual event.
She made her world debut at the 2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships
, running in the heats stage. Her first continental medals came at the 2003 South American Championships in Athletics
, where she secured both the individual and relay 400 m titles for Brazil. She was also chosen for those events at the 2003 Pan American Games
and she helped Brazil to the bronze medal
in the 4×400 metres relay. She made her outdoor global debut at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics
, but was eliminated in the heats of the 400 m
. In 2004 she won the bronze at the 2004 Ibero-American Championships and took a third Brazilian title. She was selected for the 400 m race and relay at the 2004 Athens Olympics
, but was eliminated in the first round of both events.
The following year she won the silver medal
behind Maria Laura Almirão at the 2005 South American Championships in Athletics
, and joined her compatriot to win the relay gold. More relay success came at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics
, as a team of Almirão, Coutinho, Josiane Tito and Lucimar Teodoro
set a South American record time of 3:26.82 minutes in the heats, although they were disqualified in the final. She was a finalist in both the 200 metres
and 400 m at the 2006 Ibero-American Championships, but she then disappeared from international competition with sub-par seasons in 2007 and 2008.
She joined the BM&F Bovespa sports club in 2009 and this coincided with a period of revival for Coutinho. She made her return to international competition that year as she ran on the Brazilian relay team at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics
. She won back-to-back 400 m national titles in 2010 to 2011. She also re-established herself at continental level, taking the 400 m bronze medal and relay gold at the 2011 South American Championships in Athletics
. The 2011 Military World Games
were held in her home state of Rio de Janeiro and she provided one of the highlights for the hosts by winning the 400 m title in a personal best and Games record of 51.08 seconds. She won two further gold medals at the competition as she helped Brazil not only win the 4×400 m relay, but also the 4×100 metres relay (in which she set another Games record). At the 2011 Brazilian championships she ran a personal best of 23.07 seconds for the 200 m (later finishing third overall), won the 400 m race, and then set a South American record in the 4×400 m relay of 3:26.68 minutes with her club mates Bárbara de Oliveira, Joelma Sousa and Jailma de Lima.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete who competes in the 400 metres
400 metres
The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...
sprint. She represented Brazil at the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
and is a three-time participant of the World Championships in Athletics (2003, 2005 and 2009). Her personal best in the 400 m is 51.08 seconds and she holds the South American record of 3:26.68 minutes for the 4×400 metres relay.
She was the South American champion
South American Championships in Athletics
The South American Championships in Athletics is a biennial athletics event organized by CONSUDATLE. The first edition in 1919 was competed between only two countries , but it has since expanded and has generally been held every two years since 1927.In addition, 8 unofficial championships were held...
in the 400 m in 2003, the silver medallist in 2005, and the bronze medallist in 2011. With the Brazilian relay team, she has won three South American titles and a bronze at the Pan American Games
Pan American Games
The Pan-American or Pan American Games are a major event in the Americas featuring summer and formerly winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Pan American Games are the second largest multi-sport event after the Summer Olympics...
. At the 2011 Military World Games
2011 Military World Games
The 2011 Military World Games, officially known as the 5th CISM Military World Games, was hosted from July 15-24, 2011 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil....
she was a triple gold medallist, having won the 400 m, 4×100 m relay and 4×400 m relay events.
Career
Born in AraruamaAraruama
Araruama is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro. It is located 118 km east of the city of Rio de Janeiro on national highway number 106, Rod Admiral Peixoto. Its population was 97,701 and its area is 634 km²....
, she discovered athletics while at high school and tried the pole vault
Pole vault
Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...
and sprinting events. She eventually focused solely on the 400 m and moved to Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
in order to train with the Vasco da Gama 16 sports club. She won her first Brazlian title in the 400 m in 2002 and went on to take three consecutive victories at the annual event.
She made her world debut at the 2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships
2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 9th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held in the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, UK from 14 March to 16 March 2003. It was the first time the Championships had been held in the UK...
, running in the heats stage. Her first continental medals came at the 2003 South American Championships in Athletics
2003 South American Championships in Athletics
The 2003 South American Championships in Athletics were held from June 20 to June 22 at the Polideportivo Máximo Viloria in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. Detailed day-by-day reports can be found on the IAAF website.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:...
, where she secured both the individual and relay 400 m titles for Brazil. She was also chosen for those events at the 2003 Pan American Games
Athletics at the 2003 Pan American Games
The athletics competition at the 2003 Pan American Games was held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic from Tuesday August 5 to Saturday August 9, 2003...
and she helped Brazil to the bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
in the 4×400 metres relay. She made her outdoor global debut at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics
2003 World Championships in Athletics
The 9th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held from 23 August to 31 August 2003 in the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, France.-Track:...
, but was eliminated in the heats of the 400 m
2003 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 400 metres
These are the official results of the Women's 400 metres event at the 2003 IAAF World Championships in Paris, France. There were a total number of 37 participating athletes, with five qualifying heats, three semi-finals and the final held on Wednesday 27 August 2003 at...
. In 2004 she won the bronze at the 2004 Ibero-American Championships and took a third Brazilian title. She was selected for the 400 m race and relay at the 2004 Athens Olympics
Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics
At the 2004 Summer Olympics, the athletics events were held at the Athens Olympic Stadium from August 18 to August 29, except for the marathons , the race walks , and the shot put...
, but was eliminated in the first round of both events.
The following year she won the silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
behind Maria Laura Almirão at the 2005 South American Championships in Athletics
2005 South American Championships in Athletics
The 2005 South American Championships in Athletics were held at the Estadio Pascual Guerrero in Cali, Colombia from July 21 to July 24, 2005. Detailed day-by-day reports can be found on the IAAF website.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:...
, and joined her compatriot to win the relay gold. More relay success came at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics
2005 World Championships in Athletics
The 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland , the site of the first IAAF World Championships in 1983. One theme of the 2005 championships was paralympic sports, some of...
, as a team of Almirão, Coutinho, Josiane Tito and Lucimar Teodoro
Lucimar Teodoro
Lucimar Teodoro is a Brazilian track and field athlete who specialises in the 400 metres sprint and the 400 metres hurdles.Teodoro was born in Guararapes, São Paulo and began competing in senior athletics in 2001. She attended her first Olympics at the 2004 Athens Games as part of the 4×400 metres...
set a South American record time of 3:26.82 minutes in the heats, although they were disqualified in the final. She was a finalist in both the 200 metres
200 metres
A 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first...
and 400 m at the 2006 Ibero-American Championships, but she then disappeared from international competition with sub-par seasons in 2007 and 2008.
She joined the BM&F Bovespa sports club in 2009 and this coincided with a period of revival for Coutinho. She made her return to international competition that year as she ran on the Brazilian relay team at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics
2009 World Championships in Athletics
The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....
. She won back-to-back 400 m national titles in 2010 to 2011. She also re-established herself at continental level, taking the 400 m bronze medal and relay gold at the 2011 South American Championships in Athletics
2011 South American Championships in Athletics
The 2011 South American Championships in Athletics were the 47th edition of the South American Championships, organised under the supervision of the CONSUDATLE. They were held at the National Center of High Performance Athletics in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 2 to 5 June 2011...
. The 2011 Military World Games
Track and field at the 2011 Military World Games
The track and field competition at the 2011 Military World Games was held from 17–23 July 2011 at the Estádio Olímpico João Havelange in Rio de Janeiro. The programme contained 35 athletics events, 20 for men and 15 for women...
were held in her home state of Rio de Janeiro and she provided one of the highlights for the hosts by winning the 400 m title in a personal best and Games record of 51.08 seconds. She won two further gold medals at the competition as she helped Brazil not only win the 4×400 m relay, but also the 4×100 metres relay (in which she set another Games record). At the 2011 Brazilian championships she ran a personal best of 23.07 seconds for the 200 m (later finishing third overall), won the 400 m race, and then set a South American record in the 4×400 m relay of 3:26.68 minutes with her club mates Bárbara de Oliveira, Joelma Sousa and Jailma de Lima.