Raphael Fernandes
Encyclopedia
Raphael Fernandes (born 8 November 1984) is a Brazil
ian track and field
athlete who competes in the 400 metres hurdles
. His personal best for the event is 49.29 seconds, set in 2007. He represented his country at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics
.
Fernandes won two gold medals at the 2007 South American Championships in Athletics
and also reached the podium at that competition in 2006 and 2009. He was the winner of the 400 m hurdles at the 2011 Military World Games
in Rio de Janeiro
and has also won medals at the Lusophony Games
and the South American Games
.
, São Paulo
, he is trained by former South American record holder Sanderlei Parrela
. His first success in athletics came as a youth as he won the gold medals at the 2002 South American Games and the 2002 South American Junior Athletics Championships. The following year he was runner-up to fellow Brazilian Ricardo da Silva
at the South American Juniors and was fourth at the 2003 Pan American Junior Championships, beaten to a medal by Javier Culson
. He ran a personal best of 50.04 seconds to win his first senior national title in the 400 m hurdles in 2004. That same year he was third at the South American Under-23 Athletics Championships.
In 2005 he ran under 50 seconds for the 400 m hurdles for the first time, clocking 49.89 sec in the heats of the Brazilian championships, but he was beaten to the national title by Tiago Bueno. He began his 2006 season by winning the South American University Games title. He was the runner-up nationally that year and gained his first senior level medals: he was the hurdles bronze medal
list at the 2006 South American Championships in Athletics
and helped Brazil to the 4×400 metres relay title. At the first Lusophony Games
he took the hurdles silver and won a further gold medal in the relay; an achievement he repeated at the 2006 South American Games the following month.
Fernandes reached new heights in 2007, setting a 400 metres
sprint best of 46.56 seconds and a 400 m hurdles best of 49.29 seconds to win his second national title in the event. He was a double gold medallist at the 2007 South American Championships in Athletics
, winning both the hurdles and relay titles, and made his global debut at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics
(though he was knocked out in the heats stage). He also represented Brazil at the 2007 Pan American Games
(where he was a finalist) and the 2007 Summer Universiade
.
After a low-key 2008, in which he failed to run under 50 seconds and was sixth nationally, he returned to the international podium in 2009, coming second at the 2009 South American Championships in Athletics
and taking the hurdles gold at the 2009 Lusophony Games
. Injuries ruled him out for most of 2010. The 2011 Military World Games
in Rio de Janeiro
saw Fernandes win his first global level medal as he held off Víctor Solarte to claim the hurdles gold.
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 hurdles
400 metres hurdles
The 400 metres hurdles is an Olympic athletics event in track and field. On a standard outdoor track 400 metres is the length of the inside lane once around the stadium. Runners stay in their lane the entire way after starting out of the blocks and must clear ten hurdles that are evenly...
. His personal best for the event is 49.29 seconds, set in 2007. He represented his country at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics
2007 World Championships in Athletics
The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
.
Fernandes won two gold medals at the 2007 South American Championships in Athletics
2007 South American Championships in Athletics
The 2007 South American Championships in Athletics were held at the Estádio Ícaro de Castro Mello in São Paulo, Brazil from 7 June to 9 June 2007...
and also reached the podium at that competition in 2006 and 2009. He was the winner of the 400 m hurdles 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....
in 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...
and has also won medals at the Lusophony Games
Lusophony Games
The Lusophony Games is a multinational multi-sport event organized by the ACOLOP, which involves athletes coming from Lusophone countries, namely those belonging to the CPLP , but also others where there are significant Portuguese communities or that have a common past with Portugal.Participating...
and the South American Games
South American Games
The South American Games , formerly the Southern Cross Games are a regional multi-sport event held between nations from South America, organized by the South American Sports Organization .The first...
.
Career
Born in São Bernardo do CampoSão Bernardo do Campo
São Bernardo do Campo is a municipality in the state of São Paulo, in southern Metropolitan São Paulo and São Paulo microregion. The municipality's total area is 408.45 km ² and a population estimated at 1 July 2009, according to the IBGE, was 810,979 inhabitants, which results in a population...
, São Paulo
São Paulo (state)
São Paulo is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil...
, he is trained by former South American record holder Sanderlei Parrela
Sanderlei Parrela
Sanderlei Claro Parrela is a former Brazilian sprinter. With a personal best of 44.29 seconds he is the South American record holder at 400 metres. He won a silver medal in this event at the 1999 World Championships...
. His first success in athletics came as a youth as he won the gold medals at the 2002 South American Games and the 2002 South American Junior Athletics Championships. The following year he was runner-up to fellow Brazilian Ricardo da Silva
Ricardo Da Silva
Ricardo da Silva is a Portuguese-born Australian footballer. He currently plays as an attacking midfielder for A-League club Adelaide United.-Club career:...
at the South American Juniors and was fourth at the 2003 Pan American Junior Championships, beaten to a medal by Javier Culson
Javier Culson
Javier Culson Pérez is a Puerto Rican athlete who specialises in the 400 metre hurdles.-Athletic career:Born in Ponce, Culson Pérez won his first international gold medal in his home town at the 2006 Ibero-American Championships. He won a bronze medal at the 2007 Summer Universiade with a time of...
. He ran a personal best of 50.04 seconds to win his first senior national title in the 400 m hurdles in 2004. That same year he was third at the South American Under-23 Athletics Championships.
In 2005 he ran under 50 seconds for the 400 m hurdles for the first time, clocking 49.89 sec in the heats of the Brazilian championships, but he was beaten to the national title by Tiago Bueno. He began his 2006 season by winning the South American University Games title. He was the runner-up nationally that year and gained his first senior level medals: he was the hurdles 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...
list at the 2006 South American Championships in Athletics
2006 South American Championships in Athletics
The 2006 South American Championships in Athletics were held at the Estadio La Independencia in Tunja, Colombia from 29 September to 1 October. The competition represented a departure from the traditional biennial cycle of the championships, a decision taken partly as a response to the lack of...
and helped Brazil to the 4×400 metres relay title. At the first Lusophony Games
Athletics at the 2006 Lusophony Games
The Athletics at the 2006 Lusophony Games were held in the Macau Stadium on October 11 and 12. Brazil was the dominating delegation taking 19 out of 30 gold medals , while Sri Lanka managed to grab all three of gold medals it won in the Games in this sport...
he took the hurdles silver and won a further gold medal in the relay; an achievement he repeated at the 2006 South American Games the following month.
Fernandes reached new heights in 2007, setting a 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 best of 46.56 seconds and a 400 m hurdles best of 49.29 seconds to win his second national title in the event. He was a double gold medallist at the 2007 South American Championships in Athletics
2007 South American Championships in Athletics
The 2007 South American Championships in Athletics were held at the Estádio Ícaro de Castro Mello in São Paulo, Brazil from 7 June to 9 June 2007...
, winning both the hurdles and relay titles, and made his global debut at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics
2007 World Championships in Athletics
The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
(though he was knocked out in the heats stage). He also represented Brazil at the 2007 Pan American Games
Athletics at the 2007 Pan American Games
The athletics competition at the 2007 Pan American Games was held at the Flamengo Park and Estádio Olímpico João Havelange in Rio de Janeiro between 22 July and 29 July 2007...
(where he was a finalist) and the 2007 Summer Universiade
Athletics at the 2007 Summer Universiade
The athletics competition at the 2007 Summer Universiade was held in the Main Stadium at Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand, between 9 August and 14 August 2007.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medals table:-Results:******...
.
After a low-key 2008, in which he failed to run under 50 seconds and was sixth nationally, he returned to the international podium in 2009, coming second at the 2009 South American Championships in Athletics
2009 South American Championships in Athletics
The 2009 South American Championships in Athletics was the forty sixth edition of the tournament and was held between 19 and 21 June in Lima, Peru....
and taking the hurdles gold at the 2009 Lusophony Games
Athletics at the 2009 Lusophony Games
The Athletics competition at the 2009 Lusophony Games was held in the Estádio Universitário de Lisboa on July 12, July 13 and July 19, 2009.-Men's:-Women's:-Medal table:...
. Injuries ruled him out for most of 2010. 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...
in 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...
saw Fernandes win his first global level medal as he held off Víctor Solarte to claim the hurdles gold.