Fernando Scheffer is calling it a career.
The 28-year-old Brazilian who won the bronze medal in the men’s 200 freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 announced on social media that he is retiring from swimming following the conclusion of the Jose Finkel Trophy.
Scheffer will compete in the men’s 100 and 200 freestyle events at the Jose Finkel Trophy.
His finest hour came in Tokyo, when he broke the South American and Brazilian Records en route to winning bronze in the men’s 200 free from Lane 8 in a time of 1:44.66.
Scheffer also owns the South American short course record in the 200 free (1:41.32) and the Brazilian short course record in the 400 free (3:39.10).
According to Best Swimming, Scheffer in retirement will focus on working for the Fernando Scheffer Institute, an organization aimed and promoting the “social inclusion of children, adolescents and their families through sports and culture, enabling their autonomous participation in society, as well as promoting formal and non-formal cultural, educational, social and sporting practices, including competitive sports,” according to the website.
In addition to his success at the Tokyo Games, Scheffer won gold in the 200 free and silver in the 400 free at the 2019 Pan American Games in Peru. At the 2023 Pan Ams, he swam on the Brazilian men’s 4×200 free that won gold.
Scheffer was also a part of the Brazilian men’s 4 x 200 free relay team that won the world title at the 2018 Short Course World Championships in Hangzhou, China.
