Clodoaldo Silva (born 1 February 1979) is a Brazilian

Paralympic The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

. He competed at the

2000 Summer Paralympics The 2000 Summer Paralympic Games or the XI Summer Paralympics were held in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, between 18 and 29 October. The Sydney Paralympics was last time that the Summer Paralympics which were organized by two different ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, winning three silver medals and one bronze. He competed again at the

2004 Summer Paralympics ) , nations = 136 , athletes = 3,806 , events = 519 in 19 sports , opening = 17 September , closing = 28 September , opened_by = President Costis Stephanopoulos , cauldron = Georgios Toptsis , stadium = Olympic ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, where he set four world records, five Paralympic records, and won six gold medals and one silver."Paralympic Sport Awards Winners – 2005"
, International Paralympic Committee He also represented Brazil at the

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

and 2016 Paralympics,Clodoaldo Silva
. rio2016.com and lit the Paralympic cauldron at the

2016 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony The opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Paralympics took place on the evening of 7 September 2016 at the Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, starting at 18:30 BRT (21:30 UTC). Preparations The theme of the ceremony was "Todo Mundo tem um Cora� ...

. In 2005, he was given the Best Male Athlete award by the

International Paralympic Committee The International Paralympic Committee (IPC; german: Internationales Paralympisches Komitee) is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and fun ...

, the Best Female Athlete award going to Japan's

Mayumi Narita is a Japanese swimmer, described as "one of the world’s best Paralympic athletes" by the International Paralympic Committee. ''Japan Today'' has described her as a "swimming sensation perhaps as great as the Thorpedo but whose name few know". ...

. Silva has

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensa ...

, and took up swimming in 1996 as part of his rehabilitation. He is married and has a daughter Anita. At the

2016 Summer Paralympics ) , nations = 159 , athletes = 4,342 , opening = 7 September , closing = 18 September , opened_by = President Michel Temer , cauldron = Clodoaldo Silva , events = 528 in 22 sports , stadium = Maracanã , sum ...

he took a silver medal in the Mixed 4x50m Freestyle Relay. His teammates were

Daniel Dias 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 winni ...

, Edenia Garcia, Susana Ribeiro, Talisson Glock, Maiara Regina Perreira Barreto, Joana Maria Silva and Patricia Pereira dos Santos.Maria Joana Silva
Rio2016, Retrieved 20 September 2016 Silva was also the final torchbearer and lit the cauldron during the opening ceremony.

References

Living people Paralympic swimmers of Brazil Swimmers at the 2000 Summer Paralympics Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Swimmers at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Swimmers at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Paralympic gold medalists for Brazil Paralympic silver medalists for Brazil Paralympic bronze medalists for Brazil 1979 births Medalists at the 2000 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2016 Summer Paralympics People from Natal, Rio Grande do Norte Paralympic Sport Awards — Best Male winners Medalists at the World Para Swimming Championships Paralympic medalists in swimming Medalists at the 2003 Parapan American Games Medalists at the 2011 Parapan American Games Medalists at the 2015 Parapan American Games Brazilian male freestyle swimmers Brazilian male medley swimmers S5-classified Paralympic swimmers Sportspeople from Rio Grande do Norte 20th-century Brazilian people 21st-century Brazilian people {{Brazil-Paralympic-medalist-stub