Fabíola Pulga Molina (born May 25, 1975 in São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil) is a butterfly and backstroke

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 ...

from Brazil, who competed at the

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

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; ...

and

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 ...

Olympics. A resident of Coral Springs, Florida, she twice won the bronze medal with the women's relay team in the 4×100-metre medley at the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

(1995 and 1999). Molina trained at

The Race Club The Race Club is a swimming club known for training Olympic Games swimmers with its swimming training program that is focused on specific swimming techniques, located in Islamorada, Florida. History The Race Club was founded in 2003 by Gary Ha ...

, a summer swimming camp founded by Olympic Swimmers Gary Hall, Jr. and his father,

Gary Hall, Sr. Dr. Gary Wayne Hall Sr. (born August 7, 1951) is an American former competition swimmer, three-time Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder in five events. He is also an ophthalmologist. Background Hall attended Indiana University, wh ...

The Race Club, originally known as "The World Team," was designed to serve as a training group for elite swimmers across the world in preparation for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. To be able to train with the Race Club, one must either have been ranked in the top 20 in the world the past 3 calendar years or top 3 in their nation in the past year. The Race Club included such well known swimmers as

Roland Mark Schoeman Roland Mark Schoeman OIS (born 4 July 1980) is a South African American swimmer and was a member of the South African swimming team at the 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. In May 2022, he officially became United States citizen. Care ...

, Mark Foster, Ryk Neethling, and

Therese Alshammar Malin Therese Alshammar (born 26 August 1977) is a Swedish swimmer who has won three Olympic medals, 25 World Championship medals, and 43 European Championship medals. She is a specialist in short distances races in freestyle and butterfly. She ...

International career

Olympic Games

At the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

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 ...

, Molina finished 24th in the 100-metre backstroke, and 36th in the 100-metre butterfly. At the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

in Beijing, Molina finished 10th in the 4×100-metre medley, and 18th in the 100-metre backstroke. She broke the South American record of the 100-metre backstroke at heats, with a time of 1:00.71, and in the 4×100-metre medley, doing 4:02.61. At the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

in London, Molina finished 24th in the 100-metre backstroke.

World Championships

Molina participated in the

1995 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) The 2nd FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) was an international swimming meet held on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 30 November until 3 December 1995. The meet featured 32 events swum in a short course (25m) pool. The United ...

in Rio de Janeiro. She finished 6th in the 4×100-metre medley, with a time of 4:12.76, and 13th in the 200-metre backstroke, with a time of 2:13.96. She also swam the 100-metre backstroke. At the

1998 World Aquatics Championships The 8th FINA World Championships or the 1998 World Aquatics Championships were held from 8 to 17 January 1998 in Perth, Western Australia. The championships features competition in all five of FINA's disciplines: Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, S ...

in Perth, she finished 11th in the 100-metre backstroke, and 16th in the 200-metre backstroke. Molina participated in the

1999 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) The 4th FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) was an international swimming meet organized by FINA, held 1–4 April 1999 at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Hong Kong. It features 516 swimmers from 61 nations, swimming in 40 short course In swimmin ...

in Hong Kong, where she finished 9th in the 100-metre individual medley, 10th in the 400-metre individual medley (breaking the South American record, with a time of 4:46.16), 12th in the 200-metre backstroke, and 13th in the 50-metre and 100-metre backstroke. At the

2002 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) The 6th FINA Short Course World Championships were held in Moscow, Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with ...

in Moscow, Molina finished 24th in the 50-metre backstroke, and 27th in the 100-metre backstroke. Swimming at the

2004 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) The 7th FINA Short Course World Championships were held at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States from October 7 through October 11, 2004. Results Freestyle Backstroke Breaststroke Butterfly Medley Medal table ...

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

, Molina finished 6th in the 50-metre backstroke final, her best position in World Championships, breaking the South American record with a time of 28.03 seconds. She also finished 12th in the 100-metre backstroke and 14th in the 100-metre butterfly. At the

2005 World Aquatics Championships The 2005 World Aquatics Championships (french: Championnats du monde de natation 2005) or the XI FINA World Championships were held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from July 16 to July 31, 2005. They took place in Parc Jean-Drapeau on Saint Helen's I ...

, in Montreal, she finished 14th in the 50-metre backstroke, and 19th in the 100-metre backstroke. At the

2006 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) The 8th FINA World Swimming Championships ( 25 m) swam April 5–9, 2006 at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena in Shanghai, China Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities o ...

in Shanghai, Molina finished 13th in the 50-metre backstroke, and 16th in the 100-metre backstroke. At the

2007 World Aquatics Championships The 2007 World Aquatics Championships, or the XII FINA World Championships, were held in Melbourne, Australia from 17 March to 1 April 2007. The competition took place at three locations in central Melbourne: the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic C ...

, in Melbourne, she finished 13th in the 50-metre backstroke, 18th in the 100-metre backstroke, and 35th in the 100-metre butterfly. She broke the South American record in the 50-metre backstroke (29.02 seconds) and 100-metre backstroke (1:02.43). At the

2008 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) The 9th FINA Swimming World Championships (25 m) were held at the Manchester Arena, in Manchester, United Kingdom 9–13 April 2008. The United States topped the medal table with 10 gold medals, though host team Great Britain took home the most ...

in Manchester, Molina finished 11th in the 50-metre backstroke, and 14th in the 100-metre backstroke. At the

2009 World Aquatics Championships The 2009 World Aquatics Championships ( it, Campionati mondiali di nuoto 2009) or the XIII FINA World Championships were held in Rome, Italy from 18 July to 2 August 2009. The 2009 Championships featured competition in all 5 aquatics disciplines ...

in Rome, she went to the 50-metre backstroke final, and finished in eighth place. She was also a finalist in the 4×100-metre medley, finishing 8th, and obtained the 14th place in the 100-metre backstroke. She broke the South American record of the 50-metre backstroke (27.70 seconds in semifinals), 100-metre backstroke (1:00.07 at 4×100-metre medley final, opening relay) and 4×100-metre medley (3:58.49 at heats). Participating in the

2010 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) The 10th FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) was held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates from 15–19 December 2010. This swimming-only championships took place in the Dubai Sports Complex; all events were swum in a 25-meter ( short-course) ...

in Dubai, Molina reached the 50-metre backstroke final, finishing 8th. She was also a finalist in the 4×100-metre medley, finishing 8th and breaking the South American record, with a time of 3:59.45.; and placed 11th in the 100-metre backstroke. Molina was at the

2012 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) The 11th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) was held in Istanbul, Turkey on 12–16 December 2012. This swimming-only championships took place in the Sinan Erdem Dome; all events were swum in a 25-meter ( short-course) pool. The United St ...

in Istanbul, where she finished 7th in the 50-metre backstroke final, 10th in the 4×100-metre medley, and 22nd in the 100-metre backstroke.

Pan Pacific Swimming Championships

At the

2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships The tenth edition of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, a long course (50 m) event, was held in 2006 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, from August 17–20. Six world records A world record is usually the best global and most ...

in Victoria, Molina finished 14th in the 100-metre butterfly and 22nd in the 100-metre backstroke. At the

2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships The eleventh edition of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, also known as the 2010 Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, a long course (50 m) event, was held in Irvine, California, United States, from August 18–22. Me ...

Irvine Irvine may refer to: Places On Earth Antarctica *Irvine Glacier *Mount Irvine (Antarctica) Australia *Irvine Island *Mount Irvine, New South Wales Canada *Irvine, Alberta * Irvine Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom *Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotla ...

, Molina won a bronze medal in the 50-metre backstroke, in a rare result in swimming, where 3 players tied with the same time of 28.44 seconds. She also finished 8th in the 100-metre backstroke and dropped the 100-metre butterfly.

Pan American Games

At 16 years old, Molina participated in the

1991 Pan American Games The 1991 Pan American Games were held in Havana, Cuba from August 2 to August 18, 1991. There were 4,519 athletes from 39 countries of the Pan American Sports Organization, PASO community, with events in 33 different sports. The main stadium was ...

in Havana, where she finished 8th in the 100-metre backstroke. At the

1995 Pan American Games File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake strike ...

Mar del Plata Mar del Plata is a city on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the seat of General Pueyrredón district. Mar del Plata is the second largest city in Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" is a s ...

, Molina won two bronze medals, in the 100-metre backstroke and in the 4×100-metre medley. She also finished 4th in the 200-metre backstroke, and 5th in the 400-metre individual medley. At the

1999 Pan American Games The 1999 Pan American Games, officially the XIII Pan American Games or the 13th Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event that was held from July 23 to August 8, 1999, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and surrounding towns and ...

in Winnipeg, Molina won a bronze medal in the 4×100-metre medley. She also finished 4th in the 400-metre individual medley, 5th in the 100-metre backstroke, 6th in the 200-metre backstroke, and 6th in the 200-metre individual medley. At 32 years old, in the

2007 Pan American Games The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games, were a major continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to 29, 2007. A total of 5,633 athletes from 42 National Olympic Com ...

in Rio de Janeiro, she won the silver medal in the 100-metre backstroke, breaking the South American record. She also won bronze in the 4×100-metre medley, but the result was annulled due to

Rebeca Gusmão Rebeca Gusmão (born August 24, 1984) is a former freestyle swimmer from Brazil. She won the bronze medal in the women's 4×100 m freestyle relay at the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. She also participated at the 2 ...

's doping, who participated in the relay. Already 36 years old, she went to the

2011 Pan American Games The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games, was an international multi-sport event that was held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby cities of Ciudad Guzmán, ...

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...

, where she won a bronze medal in the 4×100-metre medley, and ranked 4th place in the 100-metre backstroke.

University

Molina participated in the

1995 Summer Universiade The 1995 Summer Universiade, also known as the XVIII Summer Universiade, took place in Fukuoka, Japan. Emblem The symbol mark is a motif of "U", expressing passion and energy in the flickering flames of a burning torch. In the flames one sees bot ...

in Fukuoka, not winning medals. At the

1997 Summer Universiade The 1997 Summer Universiade, also known as the XIX Summer Universiade, took place in the island of Sicily, Italy. Venues * Stadio Angelo Massimino, Catania — athletics, ceremony (opening) * Teatro Massimo Bellini, Catania — fencing * PalaSan ...

Messina Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in ...

, Molina won a silver medal in the 100-metre backstroke. She also finished 5th in the 200-metre backstroke, breaking the South American record, with a time of 2:17.39. Molina participated in the

2001 Summer Universiade The 2001 Summer Universiade, also known as the XXI Summer Universiade, was an international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, between 22 August and 1 September. A total of 6,757 athletes from 165 nations took part in 12 sports ...

in Beijing, not winning medals. She finished 8th in the 200-metre backstroke, 9th in the 100-metre backstroke, and 11th in the 50-metre backstroke.

South American Games

At the

2010 South American Games The IX South American Games (Spanish: ''Juegos Sudamericanos''; Portuguese: ''Jogos Sul-Americanos'') was a multi-sport event held between 19 and 30 March 2010 in Medellín, Colombia. The Games were organized by the South American Sports Organi ...

Medellín Medellín ( or ), officially the Municipality of Medellín ( es, Municipio de Medellín), is the second-largest city in Colombia, after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Aburrá Valley, a central re ...

, Molina won three gold medals in the 50-metre backstroke, 100-metre backstroke and 4×100-metre medley.

Military World Games

At the

2011 Military World Games The 2011 Military World Games ( pt, Jogos Mundiais Militares de 2011), officially known as the 5th CISM Military World Games ( pt, V Jogos Mundiais Militares do CISM), was hosted from July 15–24, 2011 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The 5th Military ...

in Rio de Janeiro, she won the gold medal in the 100-metre backstroke, and four silver medals in the 50-metre and 200-metre backstroke, 50-metre butterfly and 4×100-metre medley.

Personal bests

Fabíola Molina is the current holder, or former holder, of the following records: Long Course (50 meters): * Former Americas record holder of the 50m backstroke: 27.70, time obtained on July 29, 2009 * South American record holder of the 100m backstroke: 1:00.07, time obtained on August 1, 2009 * South American record holder of the 4 × 100 m medley: 3:58.49, time obtained on August 1, 2009 with

Carolina Mussi Carolina Hurga Mussi (born August 7, 1988 in São Paulo, São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian ...

Gabriella Silva Gabriella Machado e Silva (born December 12, 1988, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is a Brazilian butterfly swimmer and Olympian. As of October 2008, she was the South American and Brazilian record holder in the long-course 100-metre butterfly. At ...

and

Tatiana Lemos Tatiana Martine Lemos de Lima Barbosa (born December 10, 1978) is a freestyle swimming, freestyle swimmer from Brazil. In her career, she represented Minas Brasília, COPM de Brasília, Iate Clube de Brasília, AABB de Brasília, Clube do Exérc ...

Short course (25 meters): * Former South American record holder of the 50m backstroke: 26.61, time obtained on October 6, 2009 * Former South American record holder of the 100m backstroke: 57.63, time obtained on November 15, 2009 * South American record holder of the 100m medley: 1:00.66, time obtained on October 17, 2009 * South American record holder of the 4 × 100 m medley: 3:57.66, time obtained on December 14, 2012 with

Beatriz Travalon Beatriz Azzolini Travalon (born July 19, 1993, in Santo André, São Paulo) is a breaststroke swimmer from Brazil. At the 2012 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) in Istanbul, she finished 10th in the 4×100-metre medley, 13th in the 50-met ...

Daynara de Paula Daynara Lopes Ferreira de Paula (born July 25, 1989, in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil) is a Brazilian butterfly swimmer. International career 2008 Summer Olympics Rooted in São Caetano do Sul as a child, at 11 years old, she won sponsorship to ...

and Larissa Oliveira

References

International career

Olympic Games

World Championships

Pan Pacific Swimming Championships

Pan American Games

University

South American Games

Military World Games

Personal bests

See also

References