Brazil’s swimmers finished 2014 on a high and believe that they can achieve the country’s best yet Olympic performance at the Rio 2016 Games. After finishing fourth out of 23 nations (with one gold, two silvers and one bronze) at August’s Pan Pacific Championships in Australia, Brazil topped the medal table at the Short Course World Championships, held in Qatar in December, winning seven golds, a silver and two bonzes in the 25m pool, and breaking two world records.

Brazil has won a total of 13 Olympic swimming medals, with their best performance coming at the Atlanta 1996 Games, when Gustavo Borges took the 200m freestyle silver and 100m freestyle bronze, and Fernando Scherer claimed the 50m freestyle bronze.

“It’s been a great year,” said short-distance specialist Cesar Cielo, Brazil’s most decorated swimmer of all time. “We made history at the short course worlds and are heading for the FINA World Championships (which will be disputed in a 50m Olympic pool) in 2015 also with the aim of producing Brazil’s best ever performance.”

Cielo is Brazil’s only Olympic champion, having taken 50m freestyle gold at Beijing 2008, as well as bronzes in the 100m and 50m freestyle events at London 2012. But the 27-year-old believes that his team-mates have a great chance of emulating his feat in home waters in 2016. “We have a very promising team and will continue to work with energy and determination to keep achieving good results,” he said. “My hope is that, in 2016, we will achieve Brazil’s best ever results in the history of Olympic swimming.”

Thiago Pereira hopes Brazil can challenge the USA and Australia in the future (Photo: Getty Images/Adam Pretty)

Thiago Pereira, 400m medley silver medallist in London, is also confident for 2016 and believes success will help grow the sport in Brazil. “Since I joined the team, this is the Olympic Games at which we stand the greatest chance of achieving excellent results,” said the 18-time Pan-American Games medallist.

“We stand a good chance of winning more than three medals, but it will not be easy. All the other countries are also preparing themselves to achieve great results. The most important thing is that today we have many top swimmers and this is what makes the sport grow.

“Brazilian swimming has been improving in each Olympic cycle and we all want this to continue, even after 2016. I hope that in the future we will be able to compete as equals with the United States and Australia.”

Felipe França was Brazil’s top performer in Doha with five gold medals (50m and 100m breaststroke, 4x50m medley, 4x100m medley and 4x50m mixed medley). He competed in Beijing and London, and stressed the importance of preparation, especially out of the water.

“I have no doubt that we can achieve this objective (of bettering the Atlanta 1996 results),” he said. “As a team, we aim to be constantly developing, not just in the pool, but also in terms of personal maturity and teamwork. We are all well-trained and prepared for the competition. The unity of the group makes a big difference.”

Etiene Medeiros won Brazil’s first women's individual world championship medal in Doha (Photo: Getty Images/Ricardo Bufolin)

Etiene Medeiros, 23, won gold medals in non-Olympic events the 50m backstroke and 4x50m mixed medley in Qatar, and hopes to qualify for the 100m backstroke, 50m freestyle and 100m butterfly at Rio 2016.

“It’s really good that the results we’ve achieved this year have brought recognition to swimming and to the athletes,” she said. “We need this space in the sporting world. The years ahead leading up to 2016 present a thrilling prospect.”

The main international competitions in 2015 will be the FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia, from 24 July to 9 August, which will qualify 12 countries in each of the six Olympic relay events, and the Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada, from 14 to 18 July. In both competitions, athletes will be able to obtain qualifying points for individual events at the Rio 2016 Games.