Geisa Aparecida Muniz Coutinho (born 1 June 1980) is a Brazilian

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

athlete who competes in the

400 metres The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics (sport), athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor runn ...

sprint Sprint may refer to: Aerospace *Spring WS202 Sprint, a Canadian aircraft design *Sprint (missile), an anti-ballistic missile Automotive and motorcycle *Alfa Romeo Sprint, automobile produced by Alfa Romeo between 1976 and 1989 *Chevrolet Sprint, ...

. She represented Brazil at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

and 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 ...

and is a four-time participant in the

World Championships in Athletics The World Athletics Championships (until 2019 known as the World Championships in Athletics) are a biennial athletics competition organized by World Athletics (formerly IAAF, International Association of Athletics Federations). Alongside the Ol ...

(2003, 2005, 2009, and 2011). Her personal best in the 400 m is 51.08 seconds, and she holds the South American record of 3:26.68 minutes for the 4×400 metres relay. She was the South American champion in the 400 m in 2003, the silver medallist in 2005, and the bronze medallist in 2011. She has won three South American titles with the Brazilian relay team and a bronze 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 ...

. 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 ...

, she was a triple gold medallist, having won the 400 m, 4×100 m relay, and 4×400 m relay events.

Career

Born in

Araruama Araruama () is a municipality in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Located at 22°52'22" of latitude South and 42°20'35" of longitude west, at an altitude of fifty feet. In 2020, its population was 134,293 inhabitants, which places it the se ...

, she discovered

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competiti ...

while at high school and tried the

pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the Myc ...

and sprinting events. She eventually focused solely on the 400 m and moved to

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

in order to train with the Vasco da Gama 16 sports club.Geisa Coutinho

BM&F Bovespa B3 S.A. - Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão (in English, ''B3 - Brazil Stock Exchange and Over-the-Counter Market''), formerly BM&FBOVESPA, is a stock exchange located in São Paulo, Brazil, and the second oldest of the country. Its current form can be tra ...

. Retrieved on 2011-08-20. She won her first Brazilian title in the 400 m in 2002 and took three consecutive victories at the annual event. She made her world debut at the

2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 9th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held in the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, UK from 14 to 16 March 2003. It was the first time the Championships had been held in the UK. There were a total number of 589 participat ...

, running in the heats stage.Countinho Geisa Aparecida

IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...

. Retrieved on 2011-08-20. Her first continental medals came at the

2003 South American Championships in Athletics The 2003 South American Championships in Athletics were held from June 20 to June 22 at the Polideportivo Máximo Viloria in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. Detailed day-by-day reports can be found on the IAAF website. Medal summary Men's even ...

, where she secured both the individual and relay 400 m titles for Brazil. She was also chosen for those events at the

2003 Pan American Games The 2003 Pan American Games were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from August 1 to 17, 2003. The successful bid for the games was made in the mid-1990s, when Dominican Republic had one of the highest growth rates in Latin America. Al ...

, and she helped Brazil to the

bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receive ...

in the

4×400 metres relay Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

. She made her outdoor global debut at the

2003 World Championships in Athletics The 9th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held from 23 August to 31 August 2003 in the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, France. Men's results ...

, but was eliminated in the heats of the 400 m. In 2004, she won the bronze at the 2004 Ibero-American Championships and took a third Brazilian title. She was selected for the 400 m race and relay at the

2004 Athens Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

but was eliminated in the first round of both events. The following year she won the

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...

behind

Maria Laura Almirão Maria Laura Almirão (born September 20, 1977 in São Paulo) is a Brazilian sprinter, who specialized in the 400 metres. She is a two-time Olympian and a five-time medalist for the 400 metres and sprint relay at the Ibero-American Championships. ...

at the

2005 South American Championships in Athletics The 2005 South American Championships in Athletics were held at the Estadio Pascual Guerrero in Cali, Colombia from July 21 to July 24, 2005. Detailed day-by-day reports can be found on the IAAF website. Medal summary Men's events Women's e ...

and joined her compatriot to win the relay gold. More relay success came at the

2005 World Championships in Athletics The 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland (6 August 2005 – 14 August 2005), the site of the first IAAF ...

, as a team of Almirão, Coutinho,

Josiane Tito Josiane da Silva Tito (born August 8, 1979, in Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian sprinter and middle-distance runner. Career She set a personal best time of 2:01.28 for the 800 metres at the 2007 Pan American Games, coincidentally in her home city. ...

and

Lucimar Teodoro Lucimar Teodoro (born 1 May 1981) is a Brazilian track and field athlete who specialises in the 400 metres sprint and the 400 metres hurdles. Teodoro was born in Guararapes, São Paulo and began competing in senior athletics in 2001. She attended ...

set a South American record time of 3:26.82 minutes in the heats, although they were disqualified in the final. She was a finalist in both the

200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

and 400 m at the

2006 Ibero-American Championships The 2006 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics (''Spanish: XII Campeonato Iberoamericano de Atletismo'') was the twelfth edition of the international athletics competition between Ibero-American nations that place at the Francisco Montaner Sta ...

, but she then disappeared from international competition with sub-par seasons in 2007 and 2008. She joined the

sports club in 2009, coinciding with Coutinho's revival period. That year, she returned to international competition as she ran on the Brazilian relay team at the

2009 World Championships in Athletics The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics () were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg ...

. She won back-to-back 400 m national titles from 2010 to 2011. She also re-established herself at continental level, taking the 400 m bronze medal and relay gold at the

2011 South American Championships in Athletics The 2011 South American Championships in Athletics were the 47th edition of the South American Championships, organised under the supervision of the CONSUDATLE. They were held at the National Center of High Performance Athletics (''Centro Naciona ...

. The

were held in her home state of Rio de Janeiro, and she provided one of the highlights for the hosts by winning the 400 m title in a personal best and Games record of 51.08 seconds. She won two further gold medals at the competition as she helped Brazil not only win the 4×400 m relay but also the 4×100 metres relay (in which she set another Games record). At the 2011 Brazilian championships, she ran a personal best of 23.07 seconds for the 200 m (later finishing third overall), won the 400 m race, and then set a South American record in the 4×400 m relay of 3:26.68 minutes with her club mates Bárbara de Oliveira, Joelma Sousa and Jailma de Lima.Geisa Coutinho
Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 2011-08-20.

Personal bests

*100 m: 11.55 (wind: -0.2 m/s) –

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 state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

, 16 April 2011 *200 m: 23.07 (wind: +0.7 m/s) –

, 7 August 2011 *400 m: 51.08 –

, 22 July 2011

International competitions

References

External links

* *
Tilastopaja biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coutinho, Geisa Living people 1980 births Brazilian female sprinters Olympic athletes for Brazil Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2003 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2011 Pan American Games Sportspeople from Rio de Janeiro (state) World Athletics Championships athletes for Brazil Pan American Games silver medalists for Brazil Pan American Games bronze medalists for Brazil Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Athletes (track and field) at the 2018 South American Games South American Games gold medalists for Brazil South American Games silver medalists for Brazil South American Games medalists in athletics Medalists at the 2003 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games Olympic female sprinters 20th-century Brazilian women 21st-century Brazilian women People from Araruama