The First Olympic Ladies of Brazilian Athletics – 1948-1984

Deise Jurdelina de Castro Freire began her career at Clube Floresta, now Clube Esperia, at the age of 14. Within six months, she broke the Brazilian and South American records for the 200-meter sprint. At 15, she set a new Brazilian record for the 800 meters. She also competed for the Palmeiras and São Paulo clubs, where she achieved her best results. At the 1952 Olympic Games, she competed in the high jump and the 200-meter sprint. Although she did not reach the finals, she managed to lower her own records in each of the events

Wanda began at Clube Atlético Ypiranga, then moved to Palmeiras, and finally joined São Paulo F.C. (1947). 
A three-time Brazilian champion and two-time world champion in the 80-meter hurdles, a two-time champion at the Ibero-American Games, she won 21 medals in international competitions and broke records. 
The second Black Brazilian woman in the Olympics, she participated in two editions. In Helsinki, she competed in the long jump and set the South American record in the 80-meter hurdles. In Rome, she was the only athlete in the Brazilian delegation.

Aída Menezes dos Santos was born in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro (1937). She started at Vasco but achieved great victories with Botafogo. She was the state, national, South American, and Pan American champion in the high jump. In Tokyo, she was the only woman in the Brazilian delegation, without a coach, proper footwear, or a uniform for the Opening Ceremony. She competed in the 100-meter sprint, javelin throw, and achieved a height of 1.74 meters in the high jump, finishing in 4th place, which was the best result by a Brazilian female athlete until 1996.

Irenice Maria Rodrigues was born in Itabirito, Minas Gerais (1943). She competed for the main clubs in Rio de Janeiro in the 400-meter and 800-meter sprints, high jump, and long jump. 
At the 1967 Pan American Games, she completed the 800 meters in 2:08.5, setting the first recognized female record for the event in Brazil. 
In 1968, she broke the South American records in both the 400-meter and 800-meter events and was part of the Brazilian delegation at the 1968 Olympics. However, she was disqualified and returned to Brazil without realizing her dream of competing in the Olympics.

Maria da Conceição Cipriano began her career at Vasco, then competed for Flamengo and later for Botafogo. In the high jump, she won a series of medals and broke several Brazilian and South American records. She competed in 3 editions of the Pan American Games (1963, 1967, and 1971) and secured 1st place in 6 Brazilian Championships. At the 1968 Olympic Games, she was the standout of Brazilian women’s athletics. In the high jump final, she finished in 11th place, tying the South American record.

Maria Luísa Domingues Betioli was born in Jaboticabal, São Paulo (1948). A sprinter and jumper, she won medals and set records in national and international competitions. 
At the 1975 South American Championships, she won the 100-meter hurdles and long jump events. She participated in the 1975 Pan American Games in the 100-meter hurdles and high jump. 
She was part of the Brazilian delegation at the Montreal Olympic Games and competed in the high jump, an event in which she was the South American record holder.

Silvina das Graças Pereira da Silva was born in the city of Vassouras, Rio de Janeiro, in 1948. She began practicing athletics at Botafogo, the club where she accumulated victories in national and international competitions. The first Brazilian athlete to surpass the 6-meter mark in the long jump, she set 7 South American records in her career. She represented Brazil at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, reaching the semifinals in both the long jump and the 200-meter sprint.

Conceição Aparecida Geremias was born in Campinas, São Paulo (1956). She competed in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m, 4x400m, 400m hurdles, pentathlon, heptathlon, high jump, long jump, triple jump, pole vault, javelin throw, and shot put. She achieved podium finishes and broke records in all 13 events over more than 20 years of international competition. She participated in 3 Olympic Games (1980, 1984, and 1988), 13 South American Championships, 2 Pan American Games, 2 World Championships, and numerous other national and international competitions.

Esmeralda de Jesus Freitas Garcia Silami was born in Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais (1959). She achieved 2 world records, 2 Olympic Games, 1 Pan American Games, 18 medals in international competitions, and 76 victories. 
At the 1976 and 1984 Olympics, she reached the quarterfinals in the 100 meters. In the 1984 Olympics, she also competed in the long jump. 
A high-performance athlete in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay, and long jump, she began training for the triple jump. In her first competition, she broke the world record.

Eleonora Costa Mendonça was born in Rio de Janeiro (1948). She was the first Brazilian woman to run an Olympic marathon, at the Los Angeles Games. She achieved top placements in the Boston Marathon (7th) and the New York Marathon (5th), two of the most important races in the world. She held national records in all distances, from 1,500m to 42km. She was the first Brazilian athlete to reach the podium in the São Silvestre race and the best Brazilian athlete in three editions of the competition.

Continue here:  As primeiras damas olímpicas do atletismo brasileiro: as pioneiras de 1948