Sports
Ricardo Cintra Looks Back on His Career as a Sprinter
From Mogi Mirim to national podiums, the coach shares behind-the-scenes stories from his pool career and his connection to triathlon.
Before guiding Poliana Okimoto to Olympic glory, Ricardo Cintra built a solid career as a competitive swimming sprinter. In an interview with Natação Stemma, he reflects on his early days in short-course pools, stints with Corinthians, Pinheiros, and Minas Tênis Clube, and historic battles in the 50-meter freestyle.
Before gaining international acclaim as the coach who guided Poliana Okimoto to a historic Olympic open-water medal, Ricardo Cintra carved out an intense competitive career in the pool. Born in Mogi Mirim, in upstate São Paulo, he began swimming at a local gym called Esporte Arte, sharing lane space with a thriving generation of multisport athletes.
Curiously, triathlon was always part of his surroundings from an early age. Cintra grew up alongside names like Ivan Albano, Fábio Carvalho, Fabiano Peres, and Marcelo Ortiz—now the head coach of Brazil's national triathlon team and his childhood neighbor. Although he tried short-distance events for a few months early on, Ricardo’s true calling remained squarely in the sprint lanes: while his friends biked and ran, he was the specialist commanding the water.
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Leaving Mogi Mirim and Joining São Paulo's Top Clubs
The competitive turning point arrived around age 14. Competing in the former Projeto Nadar, Cintra turned heads by winning the state final with a time of 57 seconds in the 100-meter freestyle in a long-course pool—an impressive mark for his age, achieved while training in a modest 20-meter pool. That performance caught the eye of Alberto Silva, known as Albertinho, opening doors to São Paulo's premier clubs.
To make the move from Mogi Mirim to São Paulo possible, the young sprinter joined Corinthians under coach William Urizzi de Lima. Living in the club’s athlete housing, Cintra progressed in the 50- and 100-meter freestyle, reaching national finals and podiums in junior categories, such as the Troféu Júlio Delamare. He later moved to Esporte Clube Pinheiros, where he spent five seasons training and rooming alongside legends of Brazilian swimming, including Gustavo Borges, Cassiano Leal, Carlos Lima Filho (Cacau), and Marcelo Tomazini.
National Rivalries and the Move to Minas Tênis Clube
At the peak of the rivalry between Brazilian swimming’s two biggest powerhouses around the turn of the millennium, Cintra also represented Minas Tênis Clube for two years. Training under the Minas coaching staff, he experienced both sides of the fierce battles at the Troféu Brasil.
A pure 50-meter freestyle specialist, Ricardo had to tailor his strength training with intensive weightlifting to offset his lean build and build the explosive power required for swimming's fastest event. That dedication earned him appearances at FINA Swimming World Cup legs in Rio de Janeiro and major finals on the national circuit.
The 2002 Peak and Meeting Poliana Okimoto
The year 2002 marked the pinnacle of Cintra's swimming career. At the Troféu Brasil in Brasília, he clocked qualifying times for both the Barcelona World Championships and the Santo Domingo Pan American Games in the 50-meter freestyle during his very first preliminary heat. In an era when the event was intensely competitive, with six swimmers dipping under the qualifying standard, his time placed him fifth overall.
It was at that same meet in Brasília that Poliana Okimoto watched from the stands, witnessing the celebration of her future husband and coach. Later that year, at the 2002 Troféu José Finkel, Cintra captured silver in the 50-meter freestyle, edging out established stars such as Olympic medalist Edvaldo Valério.
The wealth of experience gained alongside champions and elite coaches in pool swimming laid the foundation for Ricardo's coaching career. He later applied these high-performance insights to structure speed and endurance training programs for open-water marathon swimmers and dozens of professional triathletes.
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