Lara Teixeira

Lara Teixeira (born 26 November 1987) is a Brazilian synchronized swimmer.[1] She competed in the women's duet at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics and was part of the Brazilian team at the 2016 Summer Olympics.[2][3] Her partner in 2008 and 2012 was Nayara Figueria.[3] The team of Teixeira and Figueria were known for their innovative choreography and irreverent costumes.[4] In total, Teixeira competed at 3 Olympic Games, 5 World Championships and 3 Pan American Games.[5]

Lara Teixeira
Personal information
Full nameLara Puglia Teixeira
Nationality Brazil
Born (1987-11-26) 26 November 1987
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Height1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)
Weight57 kg (126 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesSynchronized swimming
ClubTijuca Tennis Club
Medal record
Representing  Brazil
Synchronized swimming
South American Games
Gold medal – first place2010 MedellinDuet free
Gold medal – first place2010 MedellinTeam free
Pan American Games
Bronze medal – third place2007 Rio de JaneiroWomen's duet
Bronze medal – third place2007 Rio de JaneiroWomen's team
Bronze medal – third place2011 GuadalajaraWomen's duet
Bronze medal – third place2011 GuadalajaraWomen's team

Career

Teixeira took up synchronised swimming at the age of 8, and began to compete for Brazil two years later.[3] She was inspired by Camille Mourão, another Brazilian synchronised swimmer.[3] Her other role model is Gemma Mengual.[3]

In 2007, she won a bronze at the Pan American Games, held in Rio.[3] She also first teamed up with Figueria in this year, so their team only had a year's worth of experience when they competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics.[3] The Brazilian duet pair did not reach the final, finishing in 13th place.[3][4]

At the 2009 World Aquatic Championships, the pair made the final, finishing in 11th.[4][6]

At the 2012 Olympics, the team of Teixeria and Figueria missed the final by only 0.3 points.[3] Their technical routine costumes were in the style of Romero Brito and their music was by Arnaldo Antunes.[4] That year, Teixeria created an academy to help develop the sport of synchronised swimming in Brazil.[7] The team also won gold at the South American Synchronised Swimming Championships.[4]

She was appointed as an ambassador for the Youth Olympics for the 2014 Youth Olympics in Nanjing.[3] At the time, she was not part of the Brazilian Olympic team, and she said the experience inspired her to fight harder and win a place in the team.[3][7]

She has the Olympic rings tattooed on her shoulder.[3]

She spent 3 years as the head coach of the New Zealand National Synchronised Swimming Team.[8]

Now she is the High Performance Manager, and Assistant Junior National Team Coach for the US synchronised swimming team.[5]

References
  1. Dias, Katryn (19 February 2013). "Lara Teixeira e Nayara Figueira (Nado Sincronizado)". Esporte Essencial. Brazil. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  2. "Lara Teixeira Olympic Results". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  3. "Lara Teixeira ready to wow home crowds in the pool - Olympic News". International Olympic Committee. 2017-01-25. Retrieved 2017-06-04.
  4. Dias, Katryn (19 February 2013). "Lara Teixeira e Nayara Figueira (Nado Sincronizado) - Esporte Essencial". Retrieved 2017-06-04.
  5. Falkenberg, Emily (19 August 2019). "USA SYNCHRO HIRES 3-TIME OLYMPIAN AS ASST. JR. NATIONAL TEAM COACH AND HP MANAGER". teamusa.org. Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  6. "13th FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 17 JULY - 2 AUGUST 2009" (PDF). www.omegatiming.com. 24 July 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 August 2009. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  7. "Young ambassador Lara Teixeira: "This is what I've always dreamed of"". International Olympic Committee. 2016-07-21. Retrieved 2017-06-04.
  8. "Farewell NZ synchro swimming's wonder woman".


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