One of Brazil's top artistic swimmers, Maria Clara Lobo started swimming early and proved that the sport is in her blood. Daughter and granddaughter of artistic swimmers who made history with the Brazilian National Team, she began swimming at just nine years old and quickly demonstrated her talent. Participating in the Pan American Games in Toronto (2015) and the Rio de Janeiro Olympics (2016), she was considered the country's best in the sport and received the Brazilian Olympic Award for two consecutive years (2017 and 2018).

This week's series "The Road to Flamengo" tells the story of Maria Clara Lobo, one of Flamengo's most important Olympic athletes. For eleven years wearing the red and black colors, the athlete has managed to write her name in the history of the club and national Olympic sports.

Maria Clara Lobo Coutinho
- Modality: Artistic Swimming
- Date of Birth: 03/09/1998
- Height: 1,68m
- Place of Birth: Rio de Janeiro (RJ)

The beginning
Since she was little, Maria Clara Lobo accompanied her grandmother Ana Maria to artistic swimming competitions, where she served as a referee. When she decided to take up a sport, she chose swimming to begin with, but soon became fascinated with it and decided to join the Tijuca Tennis Club. A Flamengo fan since childhood, Maria Clara joined the Gávea club in 2010 and fulfilled her dream of wearing the Sacred Mantle.

Arrival at Flamengo
Coming from a Flamengo family with a storied history within Gávea, Maria Clara joined Flamengo in 2010, when she was just 11 years old. At the time, her mother, Cristiana, also a great Brazilian artistic swimmer, worked at Mais Querido. Having defended the Flamengo colors for 11 years, the athlete is now making her mark in the club's history.

Main achievements in the Brazilian National Team
In 2014, Maria Clara Lobo secured a spot on the Brazilian senior national team, which began preparations for the 2016 Rio Olympics. She placed sixth in the team competition at the Games, earning 171.9985 points. She is also a five-time team champion, three-time duet champion, and two-time solo champion at the South American artistic swimming championships. At the Pan American Games, she was twice runner-up in the duet event and a bronze medalist in the solo. In 2018, Maria Clara won the silver medal at the South American Games in Cochabamba, Bolivia, in the Technical Duet. At the South American Artistic Swimming Championships, held in November of the same year in Peru, the Rio native also performed well, securing silver in the free routine.

Main achievements at Flamengo
Representing the "Mais Querido" (Most Beloved), Maria Clara won nine Brazilian titles, as well as several state championships. In 2018, the red-and-black team was elected the best artistic swimmer in the country by the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) for the second consecutive year, receiving the Brazilian Olympic Award.

With so many important achievements under her belt, both nationally and internationally, Maria Clara Lobo is one of the leading athletes in Brazilian artistic swimming, further enhancing the red-and-black team's standing in this sport. She still has a chance of securing a spot at the Tokyo Olympic Games, which have been postponed until next year.


The artistic swimming teams of Clube de Regatas do Flamengo rely on resources from their sponsors – Banco Bonsucesso, Furnas, Estácio, LafargeHolcim/Cimento Mauá, EY – via the Federal Incentive Law/Ministry of Sports (IR), in addition to support from the Brazilian Confederation of Clubs (CBC) resulting from the decentralization of resources originating from the Pelé Law.