Sports
Fernando Scheffer: Mindset and His Tokyo Olympic Medal
The 200m freestyle Olympic medalist explains how aligning expectations, focusing on what is controllable, and overcoming pressure drive success.
In an interview with Stemma, swimmer Fernando Scheffer breaks down how mental conditioning was vital to his bronze medal at Tokyo 2020. He reflects on competing in Lane 8 during the Olympic final, the relay world record in Hangzhou, and lessons learned across elite competitive cycles.
Stepping onto an Olympic podium demands far more than laps logged in the pool and grueling strength sessions in the gym. For Brazilian swimmer Fernando Scheffer, bronze medalist in the 200m freestyle at the Tokyo Olympic Games, the true secret to elite performance lies in mastering the mental game. High-level sports deliver a swift lesson: fixating solely on the final outcome breeds anxiety and frustration, while channeling energy into executing what lies within your control unlocks peak performance.
With South American and Pan American titles to his name, alongside a gold and short-course world record in the 4x200m freestyle relay, Scheffer built his swimming career on a natural competitive drive nurtured during childhood races against his older brother, Augusto. At 17, already a Brazilian junior champion clocking times near the country's senior elite, he chose to prioritize his swimming career—a commitment that demanded rapid maturity to handle adversity at his very first major senior milestone.
PUBLICIDADE (GAM) — 1250x250
The Turning Point After the Rio 2016 Trials
His first major setback at the senior level came during the trials for the Rio 2016 Olympics. Losing focus after glancing at a rival's time on the scoreboard, Scheffer went out over the first 100 meters far too aggressively (splitting 50.80 seconds, when his personal best at the time was 51.00). He faded down the stretch, finishing sixth in the B-final and missing out on an Olympic berth.
Observing the calm demeanor of training partner André Pereira, who secured qualification, Scheffer decided to seek sports psychology support. Working with sports psychologist Márcio transformed how he approached training and racing: rather than obsessing over victory or medals—outcomes dependent on competitors' performances—his focus shifted toward flawless physical preparation and strict execution of his race strategy.
An Unlikely Gold and World Record in Hangzhou 2018
By 2018, training out of Minas Tênis Clube, Scheffer contributed to one of the greatest milestones in Brazilian swimming history. At the FINA World Short Course Championships in Hangzhou, China, Brazil fielded an unconventional lineup in the 4x200m freestyle relay: Scheffer (who had initially traveled for the individual 400m freestyle), Luiz Altamir, Breno Correia, and Leonardo Santos, an individual medley specialist who took over the anchor leg after Leonardo de Deus swam the morning heats.
Entering the final as underdogs against heavyweights like the United States and Russia, the quartet converted their relaxed team dynamic into sharp competitive synergy. Every swimmer clocked a personal best split, and Brazil surged past the virtual record line to capture the world title and set a new world record in the event.
Claiming Olympic Bronze from Lane 8 in Tokyo
That psychological maturity faced its ultimate test at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Following the pressure of a single-attempt Brazilian trials and the uncertainty caused by the pandemic postponement, Scheffer arrived in Japan determined to embrace the moment without the burden of unrealistic medal expectations.
After advancing with the second-fastest time in the heats, the Brazilian navigated a tense semifinal, clinching the final spot for the championship race by just 0.09 seconds. On the morning of the final, swimming out of Lane 8, Scheffer watched South Korean swimmer Sunwoo Hwang sprint out over the opening 25 meters, but chose not to abandon his pacing strategy. Locked entirely into his stroke rate, he surged past competitors over the final 50 meters to touch the wall for bronze, securing his Olympic medal.
The Pitfalls of Pressure and the Road to Los Angeles 2028
Subsequent years brought fresh challenges. Scheffer admits to falling into the trap of excessive self-imposed pressure heading into the Paris Games, fixating heavily on the goal of becoming an Olympic champion. That internal pressure compromised the lightness and adaptability needed for continuous progression in training and meets.
With the hard-earned wisdom of someone who has felt the weight of extreme expectations, the swimmer has recalibrated his long-term roadmap. The goal now is to stay grounded race by race, prioritizing immediate domestic and international competition schedules before shifting his sights to qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, all while tracking the rise of emerging Brazilian talents like Guilherme Caribé and Guilherme Costa.
PUBLICIDADE (GAM) — 1250x250
