| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women's athletics | ||
| Competitor for Brazil | ||
| South American Championships | ||
| Gold | 2011 Buenos Aires | 100 m |
| Gold | 2011 Buenos Aires | 200 m |
| Silver | 2011 Buenos Aires | 4×100 m relay |
| Military World Games | ||
| Silver | 2011 Rio de Janeiro | 100 m |
| Gold | 2011 Rio de Janeiro | 200 m |
| Gold | 2011 Rio de Janeiro | 4×100 m relay |
| Pan American Games | ||
| Gold | 2011 Guadalajara | 200 m |
| Gold | 2011 Guadalajara | 4×100 m relay |
Ana Cláudia Lemos Silva (born 6 November 1988) is a Brazilian track and field athlete who competes in sprinting events. She is the South American record holder in the 100 metres (11.15 seconds) and 200 metres (22.48 seconds).
She emerged on the international scene with gold medal wins at the 2010 South American Games and 2010 Ibero-American Championships. Lemos Silva is the reigning South American Champion over both 100 m and 200 m. She is also a three-time Military World Games medallist and two-time gold medallist at Guadalajara Pan American Games 2011 in the 200 metres[1] and 4X100 m relay.[2]
Born in Jaguaretama, Ceará, her favourite sport initially was football. Given her speed in the games, she was encouraged to represent her school in athletics competitions. After much success in school competitions she began to work with a sprinting coach, Roberto Bortollo.[3]
She began competing at national level around 2005 and made her international debut at the 2006 South American Games, where she ran in both the 100 metres and 200 metres.[4] Her first medals for Brazil came the following year, as she took the 200 m bronze medal in a personal best of 24.05 seconds and won the 4×100 metres relay gold medal at the South American Junior Athletics Championships.[5][6] Her 2008 season was highlighted by her first senior medal, a silver, which she won with the Brazilian relay team at the 2008 Ibero-American Championships.[7]
Lemos Silva improved her 100 m best to 11.57 seconds in 2009 and was chosen as a back-up relay runner for the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, although she did not compete.[3] She chose to change coaching arrangements around this time, working with Brazilian Olympian Katsuhiko Nakaya and training under BM&F Bovespa's track club.[3][8] The change saw Lemos Silva rapidly develop and at the 2010 South American Games, held at altitude in Medellín, she equalled Lucimar de Moura's South American record of 11.17 seconds. She won the 100 m individual and relay titles at the competition, as well as taking a silver in the 4×400 metres relay.[9] Later that season, she also completed a 100 m/4×100 m relay double at the 2010 Ibero-American Championships.[10] She improved her 200 m best to 23.07 seconds at the Grande Premio Brasil Caixa de Atletismo and then claimed a national 100/200 m sprint double at the Brazilian championships – the Troféu Brasil de Atletismo.[11]
Lemos Silva began the 2011 in good form, clocking 11.19 seconds and 23.09 seconds for the 100 and 200 m early in the year.[12] At the 2011 South American Championships in Athletics she won her first continental titles by defeating all comers in the 100 m and 200 m races, and was also a runner-up in the relay.[13] At the 2011 Military World Games in Rio de Janeiro she won three medals for Brazil: she set games records to win the 200 m and relay titles, but was narrowly beaten in the 100 m final by Ukraine's Mariya Ryemyen.[14] She improved her 200 m best sixth tenths of a second at the 2011 Brazilian championships to set a South American record of 22.48 seconds, en-route to retaining her national sprint titles.[15]
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