Daniel Dias

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.

Daniel Dias

Dias at the 2016 Paralympics
Personal information
Full name	Daniel de Faria Dias
Nickname	Dani
Nationality	Brazilian
Born	(1988-05-24) 24 May 1988 (age 35) Campinas, São Paulo
Website	www.danieldias.esp.br
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Medal record Men's swimming Representing  Brazil Event 1st 2nd 3rd Paralympic Games 14 7 6 World Championships 31 7 2 Parapan American Games 33 0 0 Total 78 14 8 Paralympic Games 2008 Beijing 100 m freestyle 2008 Beijing 200 m freestyle 2008 Beijing 50 m backstroke 2008 Beijing 200 m medley 2012 London 50 m freestyle S5 2012 London 100 m freestyle S5 2012 London 200 m freestyle S5 2012 London 50 m backstroke S5 2012 London 50 m butterfly S5 2012 London 100 m breaststroke SB4 2016 Rio 50 m freestyle S5 2016 Rio 100 m freestyle S5 2016 Rio 200 m freestyle S5 2016 Rio 50 m backstroke S5 2008 Beijing 50 m freestyle 2008 Beijing 50 m butterfly 2008 Beijing 100 m breaststroke 2008 Beijing 4×50 m medley 20pts 2016 Rio 100 m breaststroke SB4 2016 Rio 4×50 m mixed freestyle 20pts 2016 Rio 4×100 m freestyle relay 34pts 2008 Beijing 4×50 m freestyle 20pts 2016 Rio 50 m butterfly S5 2016 Rio 4×100 m medley relay 34pts 2020 Tokyo 100 m freestyle S5 2020 Tokyo 200 m freestyle S5 2020 Tokyo Mixed 4×50 m freestyle relay 20pts Parapan American Games Rio 2007 100 m freestyle Rio 2007 100 m breaststroke Rio 2007 200 m freestyle Rio 2007 50 m butterfly Rio 2007 50 m backstroke Rio 2007 50 m freestyle Rio 2007 4×50 m medley Rio 2007 4×100 m medley Guadalajara 2011 50 m freestyle Guadalajara 2011 4×50 m medley Guadalajara 2011 50 m backstroke Guadalajara 2011 100 m freestyle Guadalajara 2011 4×100 m freestyle Guadalajara 2011 50 m butterfly Guadalajara 2011 4×50 m freestyle Guadalajara 2011 200 m medley Guadalajara 2011 100 m breaststroke Guadalajara 2011 4×200 m medley Guadalajara 2011 200 m freestyle Toronto 2015 50 m freestyle Toronto 2015 100 m freestyle Toronto 2015 200 m freestyle Toronto 2015 50 m backstroke Toronto 2015 50 m butterfly Toronto 2015 4×50 m freestyle mixed (20 pts) Toronto 2015 4×100 m freestyle (34 pts) Toronto 2015 4×100 m medley (34 pts) Lima 2019 50 m freestyle Lima 2019 100 m freestyle Lima 2019 200 m freestyle Lima 2019 50 m backstroke Lima 2019 50 m butterfly Lima 2019 4×100 m medley (34 pts) IPC Swimming World Championships 2006 Durban 100 m freestyle 2006 Durban 200 m medley 2006 Durban 4×50 m medley 20pts 2010 Eindhoven 50 m freestyle 2010 Eindhoven 200 m medley 2010 Eindhoven 50 m butterfly 2010 Eindhoven 50 m backstroke 2010 Eindhoven 200m freestyle 2010 Eindhoven 100 m breaststroke 2010 Eindhoven 4×50 m medley 20pts 2010 Eindhoven 100 m freestyle 2013 Montreal 50 m backstroke 2013 Montreal 200 m medley 2013 Montreal 50 m freestyle 2013 Montreal 100 m freestyle 2013 Montreal 200 m freestyle 2013 Montreal 4×50 m relay 20pts 2015 Glasgow 50 m backstroke 2015 Glasgow 50 m butterfly 2015 Glasgow 4×50 m mixed relay 20pts 2015 Glasgow 100 m freestyle 2015 Glasgow 200 m freestyle 2015 Glasgow 50 m freestyle 2015 Glasgow 100 m breaststroke 2017 Mexico City 50 m freestyle 2017 Mexico City 100 m freestyle 2017 Mexico City 200 m freestyle 2017 Mexico City 100 m backstroke 2017 Mexico City 4×100 m freestyle relay 34pts 2017 Mexico City 4×100 m medley relay 34 pts 2019 London 50 m freestyle 2006 Durban 50 m backstroke 2006 Durban 50 m butterfly 2010 Eindhoven 4×50m freestyle 20pts 2013 Montreal 50 m butterfly 2013 Montreal 4×50 m relay 34pts 2015 Glasgow 100 m freestyle relay 34pts 2019 London 100 m freestyle 2019 London 50 m backstroke 2019 London 50 m butterfly

Dias was born in 1988 in Campinas, a city to the north of São Paulo. He was born with malformed upper and lower limbs. Dias began swimming at the age of 16, after being inspired by Clodoaldo Silva competing at the 2004 Summer Paralympics, and learned four styles of swimming in two months. He studied mechatronical engineering and physical education at the Universidade São Francisco.

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.

Dias won the Laureus Award in 2009 for Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability, being awarded it by British athlete Sebastian Coe at a ceremony in London. 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.

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.

As of February 2013^[update], 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).

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.