Lucilene da Silva Sousa

Started: She took up the sport seriously in 2018 with the Associacao Paralimpica de Indaiatuba [ADI APIN]. (oliberal.com, 06 Sep 2019) Reason: Two of her siblings are also vision impaired athletes and she followed in their footsteps. She initially competed in goalball but switched to swimming because she was invited to join the Brazilian national team after she broke the national record in the 50m freestyle. (cpb.org.br, 05 Apr 2020; oliberal.com, 06 Sep 2019; portalamazonia.com, 28 Apr 2018; globoesporte.globo.com, 29 Nov 2013) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (olimpiadatododia.com.br, 02 May 2024) Awards: She was named Most Efficient Female Swimmer and Most Efficient Junior Female Swimmer at the 2018 National Championships in Brazil. (esporte.gov.br, 22 Oct 2018) Additional Info: FAMILY LIFE She is the youngest of a 10-sibling family from Sao Miguel do Guama, Brazil. Her father died at about the time of her birth and her mother had to raise all of the children by herself. She and two other siblings, Antonio Jose and Josemarcio, were born with a vision impairment. Antonio Jose was the first to be involved in sports and was the inspiration for his siblings. Her brother Josemarcio has also encouraged her to continue doing sport. "There were times in which I wanted to stop. It's very difficult. But he [Josemarcio] supports me and encourages me." (cpb.org.br, 05 Apr 2020; globoesporte.globo.com, 29 Nov 2013)

Sporting Relatives: Her siblings Antonio Jose and Josemarcio are also vision impaired athletes who have competed in goalball and Para athletics. Josemarcio was a member of the Brazilian goalball team that won gold at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (SportsDeskOnline, 10 Nov 2023; cpb.org.br, 25 Apr 2018; globoesporte.globo.com, 29 Nov 2013)