Phelipe Andrews Melo Rodrigues

PH (Athlete, 26 Aug 2010)

Kitesurfing, windsurfing, cooking desserts. (Olimpiada Todo Dia YouTube channel, 12 Aug 2020; pheliperodrigues.com, 01 Jan 2020; globoplay.globo.com, 14 Sep 2018)

Winning two silver medals and two bronze medals at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (SportsDeskOnline, 17 Jun 2021; gq.globo.com, 21 Dec 2019)

His parents. (Athlete, 02 Dec 2017)

Brazilian Para swimmers Daniel Dias and Clodoaldo Silva. (Athlete, 02 Dec 2017)

He suffered two shoulder injuries following the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, and was unable to train for five months in 2009. (brasil2016.gov.br, 03 Oct 2016)

"If you really want to do something, you'll find a way. If you don't, you'll find an excuse." (Athlete, 19 Jul 2015)

He was named the 2019 Man of the Year by GQ magazine in Brazil. (gq.globo.com, 21 Dec 2019)

In 2018 he was inducted into the Pernambuco State Sports Hall of Fame in Brazil. (folhape.com.br, 19 Sep 2018)

He was named the 2014 Para Sports Achiever of the Year in Manchester, England. (manchester.gov.uk, 30 Apr 2015)

His wife Liz Johnson has represented Great Britain in Para swimming. She won medals in SB6 100m breastrstoke at three consecutive Paralympic Games, claiming silver in 2004, gold in 2008 and bronze in 2012. She also won three gold medals at the 2006 World Championships in Durban, South Africa. (SportsDeskOnline, 17 Jun 2021; Liz Johnson Instagram profile, 20 Mar 2020; globoesporte.globo.com, 24 Apr 2015)

To win gold at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (gq.globo.com, 21 Dec 2019)

He was born with a right clubfoot. He underwent several surgeries as a child. (cpb.org.br, 02 Jun 2019; Athlete, 02 Dec 2017)

CLASSIFICATION APPEAL
After a revision of the International Paralympic Committee [IPC] rules, he was initially considered ineligible to compete in Para swimming at the 2019 Parapan American Games in Lima, Peru. After an appeal, he was then classified into the S10 category and went on to win seven gold medals and one bronze. "I had to take care of my physical and mental work, in addition to dealing with this problem. I didn't know if I was going to continue or if I was going to leave the sport. I asked my coach and my psychologist, 'What can I do?'. And the only thing was to train. I trained as much as I could, even though I didn't know if I could compete. I arrived in Lima, I was reassessed and relaxed." (folhape.com.br, 23 Sep 2019; lance.com.br, 17 Jul 2019)

MOVE TO ENGLAND
He spent two years living in Manchester, England before moving back to Brazil to focus on training ahead of the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. "I lived in Manchester from 2012 to 2014 and it helped me take a step forward. Not in terms of performance, but it made me look at swimming with different eyes. I was starting to dislike the sport and I regained my love for it in England." (gq.globo.com, 21 Dec 2019; jconline.ne10.uol.com.br, 22 Apr 2015)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
He has been elected and served as a member of the World Para Swimming Athletes' Advisory Group [AAG]. He has also worked as a volunteer with Dreamflight, a UK charity that takes children with a serious illness or impairment on trips to Orlando, FL, United States of America. (Facebook page, 06 Dec 2018; dreamflight.org, 01 Nov 2018; paralympic.org, 08 Dec 2017)

FURTHER EDUCATION
He has studied for a degree in leadership and business management at Northumbria University in Newcastle, England. (Facebook page, 06 Dec 2018; pheliperodrigues.com, 01 Feb 2018)