Brazil's only three-time Pan American Games winner, Marcelinho, reminisces about his achievements.
The record in team sports was built with gold medals in the Winnipeg, Santo Domingo, and Rio de Janeiro editions.
By Communication - Official Club Website - in
Between July 21st and 25th, the 17th Pan American Games will be held in Toronto, Canada. Flamengo has two representatives in the Brazilian delegation, Olivinha and Benite, but there is one Flamengo athlete who has made his mark in the history of the competition with a national record. Shooting guard Marcelinho Machado is the only Brazilian athlete to have won the gold medal in team sports three times.
A champion at the Winnipeg (Canada/1999), Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic/2003), and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil/2007) Olympic Games, the player reveals the emotion of hearing the national anthem from the highest place on the podium. In addition to the three editions where he won the gold medal, Marcelinho also represented Brazil at the Guadalajara Games in 2011, where Brazil finished in fifth place. In total, the Flamengo player has scored 246 points in 18 games representing Brazil in the history of the Pan American Games.
"They were different emotions (in each edition). I'm happy to have achieved the three-peat and to have been part of three different groups with good experiences. In 1999, I was arriving to do my second season with the Brazilian National Team. It was memorable because I was welcomed by more experienced players. In 2003, I had already secured my place on the team. And, of course, in 2007, because it was in front of my house, with my family and friends present. Furthermore, it was the title that wrote my name in the history of the sport," said Marcelinho.
The victorious campaigns at the Pan American Games are intertwined with other great moments in the player's career with the national team. The Santo Domingo edition in 2003, when Brazil became two-time champions, took place shortly after winning the South American Championship undefeated in Uruguay.
"It was a very important year for this new team and for Brazilian basketball. Our journey was long, but winning the South American title boosted the team's morale for the Pan American Games. If my first Pan American Games was difficult, this one would be even more complicated, since we faced the home team in a packed gymnasium. But we controlled the game well, managed the lead, which cooled down the hostile atmosphere on the court. We won by 27 points (89 to 62)," recalls Marcelinho.
Unique emotion at home
At the Rio de Janeiro Games, the shooting guard not only played alongside his family and friends and won his third championship, but he was also Brazil's standout player, with a spectacular performance in the decisive match. Marcelinho led the team to the title at the HSBC Arena, where he was Brazil's top scorer with 76 points.
"It was the first competition I played in at the Arena. An Arena where I came to play countless times later with Flamengo. I live across from the gym and I always see it from my balcony, there's no way I can't remember that title. It's a title I cherish very much. Basketball deserved that title," he said, also recalling the moments he experienced on the court. "It was a different kind of emotion. During the game I was very focused and couldn't hear anyone. But during the national anthem, my heart beat faster. After 16 years of service to Brazilian basketball, I still get emotional about this achievement," declared Marcelinho.
With the gold medal at the Rio Games secured, the Brazilian players celebrated wildly and thanked the crowd for their applause, who sang the national anthem at length in the final seconds. After the awards ceremony, the athletes performed the traditional 'fish dive' on the court to celebrate.
Brazilian National Team's Statistics at the Pan American Games
Basketball is the team sport with the most gold medals (8) in the history of the Pan American Games and in total (24). In the sixteen editions of the men's tournament, Brazil has reached the podium thirteen times, and five times the men's team secured the gold medal: Cali, Colombia (1971); Indianapolis, United States (1987); Winnipeg, Canada (1999); Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (2003) and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2007). There were also two silver medals and six bronze medals.
A champion at the Winnipeg (Canada/1999), Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic/2003), and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil/2007) Olympic Games, the player reveals the emotion of hearing the national anthem from the highest place on the podium. In addition to the three editions where he won the gold medal, Marcelinho also represented Brazil at the Guadalajara Games in 2011, where Brazil finished in fifth place. In total, the Flamengo player has scored 246 points in 18 games representing Brazil in the history of the Pan American Games.
"They were different emotions (in each edition). I'm happy to have achieved the three-peat and to have been part of three different groups with good experiences. In 1999, I was arriving to do my second season with the Brazilian National Team. It was memorable because I was welcomed by more experienced players. In 2003, I had already secured my place on the team. And, of course, in 2007, because it was in front of my house, with my family and friends present. Furthermore, it was the title that wrote my name in the history of the sport," said Marcelinho.
The victorious campaigns at the Pan American Games are intertwined with other great moments in the player's career with the national team. The Santo Domingo edition in 2003, when Brazil became two-time champions, took place shortly after winning the South American Championship undefeated in Uruguay.
"It was a very important year for this new team and for Brazilian basketball. Our journey was long, but winning the South American title boosted the team's morale for the Pan American Games. If my first Pan American Games was difficult, this one would be even more complicated, since we faced the home team in a packed gymnasium. But we controlled the game well, managed the lead, which cooled down the hostile atmosphere on the court. We won by 27 points (89 to 62)," recalls Marcelinho.
Unique emotion at home
At the Rio de Janeiro Games, the shooting guard not only played alongside his family and friends and won his third championship, but he was also Brazil's standout player, with a spectacular performance in the decisive match. Marcelinho led the team to the title at the HSBC Arena, where he was Brazil's top scorer with 76 points.
"It was the first competition I played in at the Arena. An Arena where I came to play countless times later with Flamengo. I live across from the gym and I always see it from my balcony, there's no way I can't remember that title. It's a title I cherish very much. Basketball deserved that title," he said, also recalling the moments he experienced on the court. "It was a different kind of emotion. During the game I was very focused and couldn't hear anyone. But during the national anthem, my heart beat faster. After 16 years of service to Brazilian basketball, I still get emotional about this achievement," declared Marcelinho.
With the gold medal at the Rio Games secured, the Brazilian players celebrated wildly and thanked the crowd for their applause, who sang the national anthem at length in the final seconds. After the awards ceremony, the athletes performed the traditional 'fish dive' on the court to celebrate.
Brazilian National Team's Statistics at the Pan American Games
Basketball is the team sport with the most gold medals (8) in the history of the Pan American Games and in total (24). In the sixteen editions of the men's tournament, Brazil has reached the podium thirteen times, and five times the men's team secured the gold medal: Cali, Colombia (1971); Indianapolis, United States (1987); Winnipeg, Canada (1999); Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (2003) and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2007). There were also two silver medals and six bronze medals.