Abilio Couto

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(Redirected from A. Couto)
Abilio Couto on left in Capri Napoli 1957
Abilio Couto returning to Rio in 1958 after his English Channel swim
Abilio Couto's remaining trophies November 2022
Abilio Couto

Abílio Álvaro da Costa Couto (nickname Pai das Águas Abertas no Brasil or Father of Open Water Swimming in Brazil, born on 24 December 1924) was a Brazilian open water swimmer from Ribeirão Preto. He was the chairman of the Brazilian open water swimming federation who mentored and inspired many Brazilian swimmers.

Open Water Swimming Career

  • He was awarded the Baron of Sorano, registered in Rome, Italy, by Prince Alexandre Marie de Deolz.
  • He was inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in its Class of 2001 as an Honor Swimmer.
  • It is estimated that Couto swam more than 40,000 kilometers during his career, only a bit shorter than the circumference of the earth around the equator. *On the domestic open water swimming forefront where he is known as the Father of Open Water Swimming in Brazil (Pai das Águas Abertas no Brasil), he was instrumental in the establishment of the first Brazil Open Water Championships and many other events including the Ilhabella-Caraguatatuba 25 km event.
  • He completed a crossing of the Strait of Gibraltar on 10 August 1965 at the age of 42 in 5 hours 52 minutes(the oldest swimmer at the time).
  • He crossed the 33.5 km English Channel from France to English on 10 August 1958 in 12 hours 45 minutes coached by Miguel Maciel and escorted by Captain Hutchinson to become the first Brazilian to swim across the English Channel.
  • He crossed the 33.5 km English Channel from England to France on 11 September 1959 in 12 hours 49 minutes. He had the lowest combined time of any swimmer for both directions.
  • He crossed the 33.5 km English Channel from France to England on 25 September 1959 in 11 hours 44 minutes for the third time.
  • In 1959, he swam from France to England again in 11 hours 44 minutes. With only 14 days rest, he swam back from England to France in 12 hours 49 minutes.
  • He was an eight-time amateur winner of the International Long Distance Swimming Federation marathon swims in 1959, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1969, 1961 and 1965).
  • He swam across the Strait of Gibraltar (1965), Lake Michigan (1965), Suez Canal (1964), Nile River (1965), Mar del Plata (1960) and Lake Ontario (1960).
  • 1955 - Travessia Guarujá-São Vicente (Brasil)
  • 1956 - Travessia Guarujá-São Vicente (Brasil)
  • 1956 - Travessia Guarujá-São Vicente (Brasil)
  • He competed in the 1957, 1958 and 1959 36 km Maratona del Golfo Capri-Napoli (Capri-Napoli International Swimming Crossing Competition) in Italy.
  • 1958 - Travessia do Canal da Mancha - percurso França-Inglaterra
  • 1959 - Travessia do Canal da Mancha - percurso Inglaterra-França
  • 1959 - Travessia Ilha Bela-Caraguatatuba (Brasil)
  • 1959- Travessia de Triunfo a Porto Alegre, 60 km, 16 hours 1 minute
  • 1959 - Travessia do Canal da Mancha - percurso Inglaterra-França e França-Inglaterra, 1° lugar
  • 1961 - Travessia da Maratona de Alexandria (Egito) 45 km - pela ILDSF 1° lugar
  • 1964-Travessia da Maratona de Said-Beirute (Líbano) -50 km, pela ILDSF - 1° lugar
  • 1964 - Travessia do lago de Brasilia ( lago Paranoá)- Brasil
  • 1965 - Travessia do Lago Michigan - percurso Chicago (EUA) - Saint Joseph (Canadá) - pela ILDSF - 98 km, 45 swimmers started just 4 left, 42 hours 20 minutes 1° Abdull Latif Abo-Heif, 2° Abilio Couto, 4° Cliff Lumsden
  • 1965- Travessia de Bosphoro ( Constantinopla - Turquia)
  • 1966 - Travessia da Maratona do Lago Ohrid (Iugoslávia) - 40 km, pela ILDSF - 1° lugar
  • 1969 - Travessia da Represa de Assuan (Egypt)
  • 1964 - Travessia do Canal de Suez (Egypt)
  • 1965 - Travessia da Maratona do Rio Nilo (Egito) - pela ILDSF - 44 nadadores, 24 países, 1° lugar
  • Travessia de Salton Sea ( Estados Unidos) 10.5 miles in 4 hours 25 minutes
  • Travessia Huntington Beach-Long Beach (Califórnia, Estados Unidos) 15 miles in 6 hours 14 minutes
  • Travessia Atlantic City-New Jersey (Estados Unidos) 22.5 miles in 12 hours 44 minutes
  • Travessia de Owen Sound (Canadá) 15 miles in 6 hours 44 minutes
  • Travessia do Canal de Santa Catalina (MC) 32.3 km in 11 hours 6 minutes

Estudio Filmes Documentary

External links