MEDEIROS Etiene

General
CHANGE OF FOCUS
In 2019 she and her coach, Fernando Vanzella, decided to focus more on the 50m and 100m freestyle events. "After the bronze medal in the 50m freestyle [at the 2018 World Short Course Championships] in Hangzhou, an unexpected one, the idea of focusing on the freestyle events for 2020 began to grow and now the 50m and 100m freestyle will be my priority. Because of that our training changed. If I did before more backstroke and less freestyle, now it is the other way around. Often now the training is more freestyle-oriented. I'm not going to leave aside entirely the backstroke events, I'm still taking part in both, but freestyle now has more of my attention." (etienemedeiros.com, 18 Feb 2019)

CHARITY WORK
In September 2018 she launched the social project named 'Touca Rosa' [Pink Cap] to raise funds for the fight against women's breast cancer. The money raised from selling pink swimming caps was donated to the Cancer Hospital of Pernambuco in Recife, Brazil. "Our goal was not only to create awareness about breast cancer, but cancer in general." In 2019 she was joined by fellow Brazilian swimmer Joao Gomes Junior with the name 'Touca Azul' [Blue Cap] to raise funds against men's prostate cancer. She has also launched projects aimed to help people with asthma. (etienemedeiros.com, 01 Nov 2018, 27 May 2019; Facebook page, 05 Dec 2018; maquinadoesporte.uol.com.br, 03 Oct 2019)

She became the first Brazilian female swimmer to win an individual long course world title when she triumphed in the 50m backstroke at the 2017 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. (globoesporte.globo.com, 27 Jul 2017; SportsDeskOnline, 13 Aug 2018)

She was the first Brazilian female swimmer to win a Pan American Games gold medal after placing first in the 100m backstroke at the 2015 Games in Toronto, ON, Canada. (swimswam.com, 07 Dec 2014; SportsDeskOnline, 13 Aug 2018)