Benedicta Oliveira

A pioneer in women’s sport, as a child, Benedicta de Oliveira played volleyball and cycled, but it was track athletics that captured her attention most. She focused exclusively on the latter sport in high school and began to train even more seriously upon moving to São Paulo for college in 1946. Two years later, she was selected to represent Brazil at the London Olympics, where she was eliminated in the first round of both the 100 metres and the 4x100 metres relay, in the latter alongside Lucila Pini, Melânia Luz, and Gertrudes Morg.

In 1949 Oliveira earned her first major international medals, bronze in the 100 and 200 metres at the South American Championships. She repeated her bronze in the 200 metres at the 1954 edition, but became South American champion by winning gold in the 100 metres. She retired from active competition in 1956 and became the first athletics technician in Brazil. She accompanied the national team to three editions of the Pan American Games (1971, 1975, and 1983), as well as the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Domestically, she worked with Clube Esperia in São Paulo until her 1995 retirement and had a university degree in Physical Education and Communication.

Personal Best: 100 – 12.3 (1953).