After competing in the 10-meter platform, individual, and synchronized events at the 2015 Pan American Games and at the 205 World Aquatics Championships, this Brazilian diver Ingrid Oliveira became a name to reckon with.
At the Pan American Games, she won the silver medal in the synchronized event and qualified in both events for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Here are facts you never knew about the Brazilian.
Who Is Ingrid Oliveira?
She was born Ingrid de Oliveira on the 7th day of May 1996 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She is the youngest of the two daughters born to her parents – Dona Nice and Oscar Pereira. Her older sister’s name is Erica Oliveira.
She grew up in Vista Alegre – a neighborhood in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro. Sadly, her mother died of kidney disease.
Oliveira began her sporting career at Fluminense as a gymnast, before becoming a diver. She was very good at diving that she was soon called to join the Brazilian national Diving team at a very young age. She trained with the team in China and Colombia and in 2014, she participated in the Summer Youth Olympic Games held in Nanjing, China. Oliveira didn’t win any medal at the tournament, however, but she stayed determined and participated in several other international tournaments, including the FINA Diving Grand Prix.
Ingrid de Oliveira gained popularity in 2015 when she competed in the 10-meter platform, individual, and synchronized events at the 2015 Pan American Games held in Toronto and at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships held in Kazan, Russia. Her performance at these competitions earned her a ticket to the 2016 Rio Olympics. Unfortunately, she performed below expectation at the Olympics.
Rio Olympics Sex Scandal
During the 2016 Rio Olympics, the Brazilian synchronized diver was involved in a sex scandal that made headlines in the media. Ingrid Oliveira was said to have thrown out her team/roommate Giovanna Pedroso from their room in the Olympic village to have what local media called marathon sex with fellow Brazilian Olympians and canoeist Pedro Goncalves, the night before their Olympic performance.
At the game, the following day, the pair finished last in the women’s 10-meter synchronized platform dive – a performance the local media described as “pathetic.”
Although the Pan American Games medalist and her teammate have had issues before then, what happened on the night before their Olympic performance was just the last straw.
Ingrid Oliveira had reportedly, brought Goncalves back to the flat she was sharing with Pedroso in the Olympic Village that night and asked if she and her partner (Pedro Goncalves) could share their bedroom.
After what was described as a heated argument Pedroso consented and left to sleep in another room, but she later reported Oliveira’s tryst to Brazilian team managers.
Pedroso was furious at Oliveira for kicking her out of their room and for losing focus just a few hours to their competition time. She swore never to synchronize dive with Ingrid Oliveira again and that after the Olympics, she was going to focus on her individual [diving] and will not need to depend on anyone. And she was through to her words, after the Olympics, the duo announced their separation.
Pedro Goncalves’ response to the whole issue, when asked, was that “it’s his personal life, he does not speak about.” And Oliveira, responded on her Instagram page and wrote: “Mistakes, everyone makes mistakes, no one is perfect apart from God.”
She, however, stated that most of the reports about the row were “pure sensationalism”, adding that she was banned from talking about what happened, she went on to thank her followers for their support during her difficult moment.
Quick Facts About The Brazilian Diver
- Full Name: Ingrid de Oliveira
- Date of Birth: 7 May 1996
- Education: Unknown
- Place of Birth: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Ingrid Oliveira and Giovanna Pedroso had been together as a team since 2015. In 2005, they won a bronze medal at a synchronized competition held in the central Mexican city of León. Later that year, they finished second place in the Women’s Synchronised 10m Platform Final to win the silver medal.
The beautiful Brazilian diver has also won a gold medal with another Brazilian diver Luiz Felipe Outerelo Gold at a Grand Prix held in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
She stands at a height of 1.6 meters, weighing 58 kg.
She is active on Instagram with over 260k followers.
Her first IG post was in March 2013 and it was a photo of her walking in the snow.
Oliveira is currently dating Brazilian photographer, Gabriel Molon.
