Fernando de Queiroz Scherer (born October 6, 1974) is a Brazilian former international swimmer. He won the bronze medal in the 50-meter freestyle at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

in Atlanta and another bronze medal four years later in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

with the Brazilian relay team in the 4×100-meter freestyle. Scherer won his first major title at the inaugural

1993 FINA Short Course World Championships The 1st Short Course Swimming World Championships were organized by FINA and held in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, December 2–5, 1993. The meet featured competition in a short course (25 meter) pool. During the championships, a total of 12 world re ...

Palma de Mallorca Palma (; ; also known as ''Palma de Mallorca'', officially between 1983–88, 2006–08, and 2012–16) is the capital and largest city of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is situate ...

, where he won the 100-meter freestyle. He trained at The Race Club, a swimming club founded by Olympic swimmers Gary Hall, Jr. and his father,

Gary Hall, Sr. Dr. Gary Wayne Hall Sr. (born August 7, 1951) is an American former competition swimmer, three-time Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder in five events. He is also an ophthalmologist. Background Hall attended Indiana University, wh ...

as a training group for elite swimmers in preparation for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Scherer is nicknamed ''Xuxa'' in his native country, and he became Brazil's Sportsman of The Year in 1995 after winning one gold and one silver medal at the

1995 FINA Short Course World Championships The 2nd FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) was an international swimming meet held on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 30 November until 3 December 1995. The meet featured 32 events swum in a short course (25m) pool. The United ...

in Rio de Janeiro. Scherer was involved in the organization ''

Cansei Cansei (''I'm tired'') was a protest-movement organized by high-profile society in Brazil about lack of ethics in politics and government in Mensalão scandal and 2006–2007 Brazilian aviation crisis. Cansei failed to get large appeal. Members ...

''. In 2009, he took part in the second season of a reality television program called ''A Fazenda'', where one of his fellow contestants was his future wife, the actress and dancer Sheila Mello. Scherer and Mello married on June 24, 2010, in São Paulo.

Beginning

Scherer began swimming when he was a child to help improve his respiratory problems. When he was 14, he participated in his first competitions and trained at the Doze de Agosto club. In 1992, he began to achieve national prominence, winning the 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter freestyle in the Brazil Trophy. That day, his friends created a nickname "Xuxa", by which Scherer became widely known because his blond hair resembled that of a children's television presenter with the same name.

International career

1993

At the Brazilian short course championship, the

Jose Finkel Trophy Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. *Jose ben Abin *Jose ben Akabya * Jose the Galil ...

in Santos on July 7, 1993, the Brazilian team comprising Fernando Scherer, Teófilo Ferreira, José Carlos Souza and Gustavo Borges, broke the world record in the 4×100-meter freestyle with a time of 3:13.97three centiseconds better than the Swedish team record of 3:14.00 from March 19, 1989. On December 5, Brazil again broke the world record, with the same team, with a time of 3:12.11. This mark was achieved at the

1993 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) The 1st Short Course Swimming World Championships were organized by FINA and held in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, December 2–5, 1993. The meet featured competition in a short course (25 meter) pool. During the championships, a total of 12 world re ...

, in

, where Scherer won his first major titles: the gold in the 100-meter freestyle and in the 4×100-meter freestyle, at 19 years of age and after five years of competitive swimming experience. With this, Scherer was elected as the revelation athlete of Brazil. He also finished eighth in the 50-meter freestyle.

1994

Scherer participated in the

1994 World Aquatics Championships The 1994 FINA World Aquatics Championships were held in Rome, Italy between September 1 and September 11, 1994. Medal table Results Diving ;Men ;Women Open water swimming ;Men ;Women Swimming ;Men ;Women Synchronized swimmin ...

in Rome, where he won the bronze in the 4×100-meter freestylealong with Teófilo Ferreira, André Teixeira and Gustavo Borges. Scherer also finished 10th in the 50-meter freestyle and 14th in the 100-meter freestyle.

1995

In 1995, Scherer signed with Flamengo. He was the first swimmer with signed contract. In March, he competed at the

1995 Pan American Games File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake strike ...

in Argentina, where he became champion of the 50-meter freestyle, two silver medals in 4×100-meter freestyle and 4×200-meter freestyle, and bronze in the 100-meter freestyle. He was named the ''Brazilian Athlete of the Year'' in 1995, after winning two gold medals in the 100-meter freestyle and 4×100-meter freestyle at the

1995 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) The 2nd FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) was an international swimming meet held on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 30 November until 3 December 1995. The meet featured 32 events swum in a short course (25m) pool. The United ...

in Rio de Janeiro. In the 4×100-meter freestyle, he opened with a time of 47.74 seconds in the heats and a time of 47.63 seconds in the finala South American and Championship record. He also won a silver medal in the 50-meter freestyle.

1996

At the

, in Atlanta, Scherer earned a bronze medal in the 50-metre freestyle, came 5th in the 100-metre freestyle and 4th in the 4×100-metre freestyle.

1997

1997 was a bad year for Scherer. He could not swim competitively for six months after experiencing problems in his left shoulder and both knees caused after the Olympics. He competed in the

1997 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) The 3rd FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) were an international swimming meet organized by FINA. It was held at the Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden April 17−20, 1997; and featured 501 swimmers from 71 nations. Competing nations The 7 ...

, where he finished 13th in the 100-meter freestyle, and 20th in the 50-meter freestyle.

1998

In 1998, Scherer moved to Coral Springs, Florida. He swam at the

1998 World Aquatics Championships The 8th FINA World Championships or the 1998 World Aquatics Championships were held from 8 to 17 January 1998 in Perth, Western Australia. The championships features competition in all five of FINA's disciplines: Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, S ...

, in Perth, Australia, where he finished eighth in the 50-meter freestyle, 17th in the 100-meter freestyle and sixth in the 4×100-meter freestyle. In August in New York City, at the

Goodwill Games The Goodwill Games were an international sports competition created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s. In 1979, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan caused the United States and other ...

, Scherer broke the South American record for the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 22.18 seconds, that would only be broken in 2007 by César Cielo. He also broke the 100-metre freestyle record with a time of 48.69 seconds, which was unbroken until 2006, also by Cielo. With that, Scherer attained first place in the world rankings in both events; he was awarded the title of "World's Best" by Swimworld magazine, and for the second time the best Brazilian athlete, by COB. At this time, the world record for the 50-meter freestyle was 21.81 seconds, set by Tom Jager; the 100-meter freestyle world record was 48.21 seconds, set by Alexander Popov. At the end of 1998, Scherer broke the third consecutive world record by a Brazilian relay team in the 4×100-meter freestyle on short course. On December 20, shortly after the end of Jose Finkel Trophy, the team of Scherer, Carlos Jayme, Alexandre Massura and Gustavo Borges, in order, fell the pool at Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama and recorded a time of 3:10.45; a record which would be broken in 2000 by the Swedish team. In this competition, Scherer had also broken the short-course South American records in the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 21.44 seconds, the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 47.17 seconds, and the Brazilian record in the 100-meter butterfly with a time of 53.13 seconds. In the 50-meter freestyle, Scherer was 0.13 seconds slower than Mark Foster's world record of 21.31 seconds, obtained on December 13. He also came close to the world record in the 100-meter freestyle of 46.74 seconds set by Popov in 1994. Scherer was also elected Best Swimmer in the World, in 1998, by FINA.

1999

In March 1999, Scherer broke the South American record for the 50-meter butterfly twice in one week. Also this year, Scherer participated in the

1999 Pan American Games The 1999 Pan American Games, officially the XIII Pan American Games or the 13th Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event that was held from July 23 to August 8, 1999, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and surrounding towns and ...

in Winnipeg, in which Brazil achieved its best swimming results of all time. The Brazilian 4×100-meter medley relay team of Alexandre Massura,

Marcelo Tomazini Marcelo Augusto Tomazini (born December 18, 1978 in São Paulo) is a male breaststroke swimmer from Brazil. At the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Tomazini teamed with Alexandre Massura, Fernando Scherer, and Gustavo Borge ...

, Gustavo Borges and Scherer won the race for the first time in the Pan's history, with a time of 3:40.27, breaking the Pan American and South American records and securing a place in the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

. Scherer also won the gold in the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter freestyle, and 4×100-meter freestyle and broke the South American record for the latter race, becoming the first Brazilian to win four gold medals in the same Pan American Games.

2000

This year, Scherer forwent all competitions to prepare for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. However, after an accident on the stairs of his house he sprained an ankle and partially tore the ligament, almost costing him the Games. Although his injury affected his performancehe hardly used his legs, Scherer won the bronze in the 4×100-meter freestyle and participated in two other heats, ranking 12th in the 4×100-meter medley and 20th in the 50-meter freestyle.

2002

In 2002, Scherer returned to Brazil and moved to São Paulo.

2003

At the

2003 World Aquatics Championships The 10th FINA World Aquatics Championships were held July 12–27, 2003 in Barcelona, Spain. The championships featured competition in all 5 of FINA's disciplines: Swimming, Diving, Synchronised swimming, Water Polo, and Open Water Swimming. C ...

in Barcelona, Scherer broke his own South American record in the 50-meters butterfly with a time of 23.86 seconds. He went to the final, finishing in 8th. He also finished 23rd in the 50-meter freestyle, and 12th in the 4×100-meter freestyle. At the age of 29, Scherer competed in the his third Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, where he helped Brazil win 21 medals in swimmingBrazil's all-time record. Scherer won the gold in the 50-meter freestyle, beating the Olympic champion Gary Hall Jr. and world champion

José Meolans José Martin Meolans (born June 22, 1978 in Córdoba) is a freestyle swimmer from Argentina, who won the world title in the 50 metre freestyle at the 2002 FINA Short Course World Championships in Moscow, Russia. A year later he won 100m freesty ...

, and gold in the 4×100-meter freestyle.

2004

In May, Scherer equaled his South American record of 23.86 seconds in the 50-meter butterfly. At the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

in Athens, he swam just one race, ranking 11th in the 50-meter freestyle.

2005

Now 30 years old, Scherer competed in the

2005 World Aquatics Championships The 2005 World Aquatics Championships (french: Championnats du monde de natation 2005) or the XI FINA World Championships were held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from July 16 to July 31, 2005. They took place in Parc Jean-Drapeau on Saint Helen's I ...

in Montreal, where on June 24, he broke the South American record in the 50-meter butterfly in the semifinals with a time of 23.55 seconds, a record that was beaten in 2009 by César Cielo. Scherer finished fifth in the final. He also finished in 24th place in the 50-meter freestyle.

2007

In 2007, Scherer retired from competitive swimming.

Records

Fernando Scherer is the former holder of the following records:

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Scherer, Fernando 1974 births Living people Brazilian people of German descent Brazilian male butterfly swimmers Olympic swimmers of Brazil Swimmers at the 1995 Pan American Games Swimmers at the 1996 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1999 Pan American Games Swimmers at the 2000 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2003 Pan American Games Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for Brazil World record setters in swimming Olympic bronze medalists in swimming Brazilian male freestyle swimmers World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) The Farm (TV series) contestants Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Pan American Games gold medalists for Brazil Pan American Games medalists in swimming Universiade medalists in swimming Goodwill Games medalists in swimming Sportspeople from Florianópolis Universiade gold medalists for Brazil Universiade silver medalists for Brazil Medalists at the 1995 Summer Universiade Competitors at the 1998 Goodwill Games Competitors at the 2001 Goodwill Games Medalists at the 1995 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1999 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2003 Pan American Games