| Brazil at the 1920 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| IOC code | BRA |
| NOC | Brazilian Olympic Committee |
| Website | www |
| inAntwerp | |
| Competitors | 19 in 5 sports |
| Flag bearer | Guilherme Paraense[1] |
| Medals Ranked 15th |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
Brazil competed at the modern Olympic Games for the first time at the1920 Summer Olympics inAntwerp,Belgium. 19 competitors, all men, took part in 10 events in 5 sports.[2]
Brazil won its first ever Olympic medals inAntwerp. All the three medals came inShooting events. The five shooters had great difficulty getting to theAntwerp. First, the shooters boarded the Curvello steamship with the rest of the Brazilian delegation, but they had to go down inPortugal when they learned that the ship would not arrive in time for the competition. Then they took a train fromLisbon toParis, and much of the trip was in an open car, with the athletes being exposed to rain and sun. In Paris, they changed trains, heading forBelgium. But inBrussels, where they expected the connection to Antwerp, some of the weapons and ammunition had been stolen. The athletes had 200 caliber 8 bullets, although they needed at least 75 for each. They made friends with the American athletesAlfred Lane andRaymond Bracken, who gave the Brazilians 2,000 cartridges and 50 targets.
On August 2, Brazil had already started themen's 50 metre team free pistol, withFernando Soledade. As his weapon was very bad, the head of the American shooting team, Colonel Snyders, lent the Brazilians two weapons manufactured byColt especially for the competition. The shootersSebastião Wolf,Dario Barbosa,Guilherme Paraense andAfrânio da Costa exchanged the weapons among themselves and won the bronze medal formen's 50 metre team free pistol. The individual event was simultaneous with the team event, soAfrânio da Costa also got the individual silver medal, inmen's 50 metre free pistol, the first individual medal ever won by a Brazilian .[3]
The next day,Guilherme Paraense, a Lieutenant of the Army, became the first ever gold medalist from Brazil, when he won the30 metre military pistol event.
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The following competitors won several medals at the 1920 Olympic Games.
| Name | Medal | Sport | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guilherme Paraense |  Gold Bronze | Shooting | Men's 30 metre military pistol Men's 50 metre team free pistol |
| Afrânio da Costa |  Silver Bronze | Shooting | Men's 50 metre free pistol Men's 50 metre team free pistol |
A single diver represented Brazil in the nation's Olympic debut in 1920. Wellisch competed in all three of the men's events, reaching the final in two but winning no medals.
Ranks given are within the semifinal group.
| Diver | Event | Semifinals | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | Score | Rank | Points | Score | Rank | ||
| Adolfo Wellisch | 3 m springboard | 19 | 522.85 | 4 | did not advance | ||
| 10 m platform | Skipped | 29 | 423.80 | 7 | |||
| Plain high dive | 14 | 162.3 | 3Q | 37 | 153.0 | 8 | |
Five rowers represented Brazil in 1920. It was the nation's debut in the sport. Brazil sent one boat, in the coxed fours. It was unable to advance past the semifinals, taking second place to the United States in the three-boat heat.Ranks given are within the heat.
| Rower | Event | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
| Guilherme Lorena João Jório Alcides Veira Abrahão Saliture Ernesto Flores Filho | Coxed four | N/A | 7:25.4 | 2 | did not advance | ||
Five shooters represented Brazil in 1920. It was the nation's debut in the sport as well as the Olympics. All three of Brazil's medals at the Antwerp Games came in shooting events, with one of each type.
Two swimmers, both male, represented Brazil in 1920. It was the nation's debut in the sport as well as the Olympics. Neither swimmer advanced past the quarterfinals.
| Swimmer | Event | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
| Orlando Amêndola | 100 m freestyle | Unknown | 6 | did not advance | |||
| Ângelo Gammaro | 1:22.0 | 3 | did not advance | ||||
Brazil competed in the Olympic water polo tournament for the first time in 1920. A modified version of theBergvall System was in use at the time. Brazil won its first match, against France, before being defeated by Sweden in the quarterfinals.
Brazil  | 5–1 |  France | Antwerp | |
Sweden  | 7–3 | Brazil | Antwerp | |
| Final rank: 6th |