Maria Fernanda Costa

She participated in the 2019 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships held in Budapest, Hungary.^[6]

Mafe Costa made a huge improvement when he became part of the team that trains with Fernando Possenti.^[7]

In June 2023, she was Brazilian champion in the Brazil Trophy in the 200m freestyle with a time of 1:57.76 and the 400m freestyle with a time of 4:06.85.^[8]

At the 2023 World Aquatics Championships held in Fukuoka, Japan, she reached the final of the Women's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay, finishing in 8th place.^[9][10] She also finished 12th in the Women's 400 metre freestyle,^[11] 20th in the Women's 200 metre freestyle^[12] and 24th in the Women's 200 metre butterfly.^[13]

At the 2023 Pan American Games held in Santiago, Chile, she won three silver medals in the Women's 400 metre freestyle with a time of 4:06.68 (near the South American record of Andreina Pinto, a time of 4:06.02), in the Women's 200 metre freestyle with a time of 1:58.12, and in the 4x200m freestyle relay where Brazil almost broke the South American record, narrowly losing to the USA. ^[14][15][16]

At the 2024 World Aquatics Championships, she qualified for the 400m freestyle final with the 4th best time, breaking the South American record with a time of 4:05.52. It was the first time that a Brazilian reached the final of the 400m freestyle at the World Championships - Mafê reached the final together with her compatriot Gabrielle Roncatto.^[17] In the final, Mafê broke the South American record again, now with a mark of 4:02.86, finishing in 4th place, just 0.47s from bronze, this being the best result of all time for Brazilian women's swimming in World Championships. in Olympic events.^[18][19][20] In the 200m freestyle, Costa clocked 1:57.11 in the semi-finals, breaking the South American record, obtaining the Olympic index and Brazil's best result in the history of this event - in the women's 200m freestyle, Brazil had never qualified anyone for a final. ^[21] In the 200m freestyle final, Mafê again broke her limits, once again breaking the South American record, now with a time of 1:56.85, finishing in 5th place, 0.85 seconds away from bronze.^[22][23] In the 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay, the team composed of Maria Fernanda Costa, Stephanie Balduccini, Aline Rodrigues and Gabrielle Roncatto obtained a historic result, reaching 4th place, Brazil's best placement in this event at the World Championships, destroying the South American record with the mark of 7:52.71.^[24][25] The quartet formed by Costa, Balduccini, Rodrigues and Ana Carolina Vieira also finished 6th in the 4x100m freestyle, equaling Brazil's best result in world championships in this event.^[26]

On May 7, 2024, competing in the Brazilian Olympic Swimming Trials, she broke the South American record for the 200m freestyle with a time of 1:56.37.^[27] On May 11, in the same competition, she broke the Brazilian record for the 800m freestyle with a time of 8:28.92. ^[28]

At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Mafê Costa reached the final of the 400m freestyle - a Brazilian woman had not reached the final of this event at the Olympics since 1948. She finished in 7th place, in her first Olympic participation, at the age of 21.^[29] She also swam the 200m freestyle, reaching the semi-finals and finishing 11th - it was the best position in the history of Brazil in the women's 200m freestyle at the Olympics. In both events, she swam close to her South American records. ^[30][31] In the Women's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay, Brazil qualified for the final, where she opened the race by breaking the South American record with a time of 1:56.06. Brazil finished 7th in the final.^[32]

At the José Finkel Trophy, held in a short course pool, in August 2024, she broke the South American records for the 200m freestyle (1:54.46) and the 400m freestyle (3:59.33). ^{[33][34][35][36]}

At the 2024 World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25 m), she broke the South American record in the 200m freestyle, opening the Brazilian 4x200m freestyle relay in the final, with a time of 1:54.22. She finished 8th in the relay, where Brazil achieved a time of 7:46.76, a South American record for the event. She also finished 9th in the 400m freestyle, 20th in the 800m freestyle and 13th in the 200m freestyle.^[37]

As of December 12, 2024