Fernando Scherer

Fernando Scherer

Scherer in 2006
Personal information
Full name	Fernando de Queiroz Scherer
Nickname(s)	"Xuxa"
Nationality	Brazil
Born	(1974-10-06) October 6, 1974 Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Height	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Weight	85 kg (187 lb)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle
Club	Pinheiros/Flamengo
Medal record Men's swimming Competitor for  Brazil Olympic Games 1996 Atlanta 50 m freestyle 2000 Sydney 4×100 m freestyle World Championships (LC) 1994 Rome 4×100 m freestyle World Championships (SC) 1993 Palma 100 m freestyle 1993 Palma 4×100 m freestyle 1995 Rio 100 m freestyle 1995 Rio 4×100 m freestyle 1995 Rio 50 m freestyle Goodwill Games 1998 New York 50 m freestyle 1998 New York 4×100 m freestyle 1998 New York 100 m freestyle 2001 Brisbane 4×100 m freestyle Pan American Games 1995 Mar del Plata 50 m freestyle 1999 Winnipeg 50 m freestyle 1999 Winnipeg 100 m freestyle 1999 Winnipeg 4×100 m freestyle 1999 Winnipeg 4×100 m medley 2003 Santo Domingo 50 m freestyle 2003 Santo Domingo 4×100 m freestyle 1995 Mar del Plata 4×100 m freestyle 1995 Mar del Plata 4×200 m freestyle 1995 Mar del Plata 4×100 m medley 1995 Mar del Plata 100 m freestyle Universiade 1995 Fukuoka 50 m freestyle 1995 Fukuoka 100 m freestyle 1995 Fukuoka 4×100m freestyle

Fernando de Queiroz Scherer (born October 6, 1974 in Florianópolis) is an international swimmer from Brazil. He won the bronze medal in the 50-meter freestyle at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and another bronze medal four years later in Sydney with the Brazilian relay team in the 4×100-meter freestyle.

Scherer won his first major title at the inaugural 1993 FINA Short Course World Championships in Palma de Mallorca, where he won the 100-meter freestyle. He trained at The Race Club, a swimming club founded by Olympic swimmers Gary Hall, Jr. and his father, Gary Hall, Sr. as a training group for elite swimmers in preparation for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.^[1]

Scherer is nicknamed Xuxa in his native country, and he became Brazil's Sportsman of The Year in 1995 after winning one gold and one silver medal at the 1995 FINA Short Course World Championships in Rio de Janeiro. Scherer was involved in the organization Cansei. In 2009, he took part in the second season of a reality television program called A Fazenda, where one of his fellow contestants was his future wife, the actress and dancer Sheila Mello. Scherer and Mello married on June 24, 2010, in São Paulo.^[2][3]

Beginning

Scherer began swimming when he was a child to help improve his respiratory problems. When he was 14, he participated in his first competitions and trained at the Doze de Agosto club. In 1992, he began to achieve national prominence, winning the 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter freestyle in the Brazil Trophy. That day, his friends created a nickname "Xuxa", by which Scherer became widely known because his blond hair resembled that of a children's television presenter with the same name.^[4]

International career

1993

At the Brazilian short course championship, the Jose Finkel Trophy in Santos on July 7, 1993, the Brazilian team comprising Fernando Scherer, Teófilo Ferreira, José Carlos Souza and Gustavo Borges, broke the world record in the 4×100-meter freestyle with a time of 3:13.97—three centiseconds better than the Swedish team record of 3:14.00 from March 19, 1989. On December 5, Brazil again broke the world record, with the same team, with a time of 3:12.11.^[5] This mark was achieved at the 1993 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m), in Palma de Mallorca, where Scherer won his first major titles: the gold in the 100-meter freestyle and in the 4×100-meter freestyle, at 19 years of age and ater five years of competitive swimming experience. With this, Scherer was elected as the revelation athlete of Brazil.^[4] He also finished eighth in the 50-meter freestyle.

1994

Scherer participated in the 1994 World Aquatics Championships in Rome, where he won the bronze in the 4×100-meter freestyle—along with Teófilo Ferreira, André Teixeira and Gustavo Borges.^[5][6] Scherer also finished 10th in the 50-meter freestyle and 14th in the 100-meter freestyle.^[7]

1995

In 1995, Scherer signed with Flamengo. He was the first swimmer with signed contract.^[4] In March, he competed at the 1995 Pan American Games in Argentina, where he became champion of the 50-meter freestyle, two silver medals in 4×100-meter freestyle and 4×200-meter freestyle, and bronze in the 100-meter freestyle.^[8] He was named the Brazilian Athlete of the Year in 1995, after winning two gold medals in the 100-meter freestyle and 4×100-meter freestyle at the 1995 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) in Rio de Janeiro.^[9] In the 4×100-meter freestyle, he opened with a time of 47.74 seconds in the heats and a time of 47.63 seconds in the final—a South American and Championship record. He also won a silver medal in the 50-meter freestyle.

1996

At the 1996 Summer Olympics, in Atlanta, Scherer earned a bronze medal in the 50-metre freestyle, came 5th in the 100-metre freestyle and 4th in the 4×100-metre freestyle.^[10]

1997

1997 was a bad year for Scherer. He could not swim competitively for six months after experiencing problems in his left shoulder and both knees caused after the Olympics.^[4] He competed in the 1997 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m), where he finished 13th in the 100-meter freestyle, and 20th in the 50-meter freestyle.

1998

In 1998, Scherer moved to Coral Springs, Florida.^[4] He swam at the 1998 World Aquatics Championships, in Perth, Australia, where he finished eighth in the 50-meter freestyle, 17th in the 100-meter freestyle and sixth in the 4×100-meter freestyle.^[11] In August in New York, at the Goodwill Games, Scherer broke the South American record for the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 22.18 seconds, that would only be broken in 2007 by César Cielo. He also broke the 100-metre freestyle record with a time of 48.69 seconds, which was unbroken until 2006, also by Cielo.^[12][13] With that, Scherer attaioned first place in the world rankings in both events; he was awarded the title of "World's Best" by Swimworld magazine, and for the second time the best Brazilian athlete, by COB.^[4] At this time, the world record for the 50-meter freestyle was 21.81 seconds, set by Tom Jager; the 100-meter freestyle world record was 48.21 seconds, set by Alexander Popov.

At the end of 1998, Scherer broke the third consecutive world record by a Brazilian relay team in the 4×100-meter freestyle on short course. On December 20, shortly after the end of Jose Finkel Trophy, the team of Scherer, Carlos Jayme, Alexandre Massura and Gustavo Borges, in order, fell the pool at Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama and recorded a time of 3:10.45; a record which would be broken in 2000 by the Swedish team.^[5][14]

In this competition, Scherer had also broken the short-course South American records in the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 21.44 seconds, the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 47.17 seconds, and the Brazilian record in the 100-meter butterfly with a time of 53.13 seconds.^[15] In the 50-meter freestyle, Scherer was 0.13 seconds slower than Mark Foster's world record of 21.31 seconds, obtained on December 13. He also came close to the world record in the 100-meter freestyle of 46.74 seconds set by Popov in 1994.

Scherer was also elected Best Swimmer in the World, in 1998, by FINA.

1999

In March 1999, Scherer broke the South American record for the 50-meter butterfly twice in one week..^[4] Also this year, Scherer participated in the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, in which Brazil achieved its best swimming results of all time. The Brazilian 4×100-meter medley relay team of Alexandre Massura, Marcelo Tomazini, Gustavo Borges and Scherer won the race for the first time in the Pan's history, with a time of 3:40.27, breaking the Pan American and South American records and securing a place in the 2000 Summer Olympics. Scherer also won the gold in the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter freestyle, and 4×100-meter freestyle and broke the South American record for the latter race, becoming the first Brazilian to win four gold medals in the same Pan American Games.^[4][16]

2000

This year, Scherer forewent all competitions to prepare for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. However, after an accident on the stairs of his house he sprained an ankle and partially tore the ligament, almost costing him the Games. Although his injury affected his performance—he hardly used his legs—, Scherer won the bronze in the 4×100-meter freestyle and participated in two other heats, ranking 12th in the 4×100-meter medley and 20th in the 50-meter freestyle.^[4][10]

2002

In 2002, Scherer returned to Brazil and moved to São Paulo.^[4]

2003

Scherer and Gustavo Borges in the 2003 Pan American Games

At the 2003 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, Scherer broke his own South American record in the 50-meters butterfly with a time of 23.86 seconds.^[17] He went to the final, finishing in 8th.^[18] He also finished 23rd in the 50-meter freestyle,^[19] and 12th in the 4×100-meter freestyle.^[20]

At the age of 29, Scherer competed in the his third Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, where he helped Brazil win 21 medals in swimming—Brazil's all time record. Scherer won the gold in the 50-meter freestyle, beating the Olympic champion Gary Hall Jr. and world champion José Meolans, and gold in the 4×100-meter freestyle.^[21]

2004

In May, Scherer equaled his South American record of 23.86 seconds in the 50-meter butterfly.^[22] At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, he swam just one race, ranking 11th in the 50-meter freestyle.^[10]

2005

Now 30 years old, Scherer competed in the 2005 World Aquatics Championships in Montreal, where on June 24, he broke the South American record in the 50-meter butterfly in the semifinals with a time of 23.55 seconds,^[23] a record that it was beaten in 2009 by César Cielo.^[24][25] Scherer finished fifth in the final.^[26] He also finished in 24th place in the 50-meter freestyle.^[27]

2007

In 2007, Scherer retired from competitive swimming.^[4]

Records

Fernando Scherer is the former holder of the following records:^[28]

See also

• The Race Club
• South American records in swimming

References

External links

• sports-reference