Sprinter Melânia Luz joins Brazil Olympic Committee hall of fame

Sprinter Melânia Luz dos Santos will be included in the hall of fame of Brazil’s Olympic committee COB. The athlete, who died in 2016 aged 88, won three South American medals and was the first black woman from Brazil to compete in the Olympic games, in London, back in 1948. The tribute was confirmed Sunday (Jul 3).

In 2020, the Extraordinary Assembly of the Brazilian Athletics Confederation (CBAt) had recognized Melânia Luz as an emeritus member for her performance in the sport a mere 50 years after slavery was abolished in the country. Her family was granted the distinction in memoriam.

Thus, athletics now boasts six representatives on the list of honorees: Melânia Luz, Adhemar Ferreira da Silva (two-time Olympic champion in the triple jump), Joaquim Cruz (Olympic gold and silver in the 800 meters), João do Pulo (two Olympic bronze medals in the triple jump), Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima (Olympic bronze medal in the marathon), and Sylvio de Magalhães Padilha (Olympic finalist in the 400-meter hurdles and former Olympic committee chair).

Besides Melânia Luz, the other names joining the hall of fame this year are Manoel dos Santos (swimming), Marcelo Ferreira (sailing), Ricardo Prado (swimming), Renan Dal Zotto (volleyball), Walter Carmona (judo), and Yane Marques (pentathlon). The new members will be honored at events held by the committee and will have their feet or hands engraved in molds to be displayed in a future exhibit at the committee’s Training Center.