# Maria Fernanda Costa

Maria Fernanda de Oliveira da Silva Costa (born 5 September 2002) is a Brazilian swimmer. She finished 4th in the 400m freestyle, and 5th in the 200m freestyle, at the 2024 World Championships, in Doha.

## International career
### 2017–20

She participated in the 2019 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships held in Budapest, Hungary.

### 2021–24

Mafe Costa made a huge improvement when he became part of the team that trains with Fernando Possenti.
In June 2023, she was Brazilian champion in the Brazil Trophy in the 200m freestyle with a time of 1:57.76 and the 400m freestyle with a time of 4:06.85.
At the 2023 World Aquatics Championships held in Fukuoka, Japan, she reached the final of the Women's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay, finishing in 8th place. She also finished 12th in the Women's 400 metre freestyle, 20th in the Women's 200 metre freestyle and 24th in the Women's 200 metre butterfly.
At the 2023 Pan American Games held in Santiago, Chile, she won three silver medals in the Women's 400 metre freestyle with a time of 4:06.68 (near the South American record of Andreina Pinto, a time of 4:06.02), in the Women's 200 metre freestyle with a time of 1:58.12, and in the 4x200m freestyle relay where Brazil almost broke the South American record, narrowly losing to the USA.
At the 2024 World Aquatics Championships, she qualified for the 400m freestyle final with the 4th best time, breaking the South American record with a time of 4:05.52. It was the first time that a Brazilian reached the final of the 400m freestyle at the World Championships - Mafê reached the final together with her compatriot Gabrielle Roncatto. In the final, Mafê broke the South American record again, now with a mark of 4:02.86, finishing in 4th place, just 0.47s from bronze, this being the best result of all time for Brazilian women's swimming in World Championships. in Olympic events. In the 200m freestyle, Costa clocked 1:57.11 in the semi-finals, breaking the South American record, obtaining the Olympic index and Brazil's best result in the history of this event - in the women's 200m freestyle, Brazil had never qualified anyone for a final. In the 200m freestyle final, Mafê again broke her limits, once again breaking the South American record, now with a time of 1:56.85, finishing in 5th place, 0.85 seconds away from bronze. In the 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay, the team composed of Maria Fernanda Costa, Stephanie Balduccini, Aline Rodrigues and Gabrielle Roncatto obtained a historic result, reaching 4th place, Brazil's best placement in this event at the World Championships, destroying the South American record with the mark of 7:52.71. The quartet formed by Costa, Balduccini, Rodrigues and Ana Carolina Vieira also finished 6th in the 4x100m freestyle, equaling Brazil's best result in world championships in this event.
On May 7, 2024, competing in the Brazilian Olympic Swimming Trials, she broke the South American record for the 200m freestyle with a time of 1:56.37. On May 11, in the same competition, she broke the Brazilian record for the 800m freestyle with a time of 8:28.92.

### 2024 Summer Olympics

At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Mafê Costa reached the final of the 400m freestyle - a Brazilian woman had not reached the final of this event at the Olympics since 1948. She finished in 7th place, in her first Olympic participation, at the age of 21. She also swam the 200m freestyle, reaching the semi-finals and finishing 11th - it was the best position in the history of Brazil in the women's 200m freestyle at the Olympics. In both events, she swam close to her South American records. In the Women's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay, Brazil qualified for the final, where she opened the race by breaking the South American record with a time of 1:56.06. Brazil finished 7th in the final.

### 2024-28

At the José Finkel Trophy, held in a short course pool, in August 2024, she broke the South American records for the 200m freestyle (1:54.46) and the 400m freestyle (3:59.33).
At the 2024 World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25 m), she broke the South American record in the 200m freestyle, opening the Brazilian 4x200m freestyle relay in the final, with a time of 1:54.22. She finished 8th in the relay, where Brazil achieved a time of 7:46.76, a South American record for the event. She also finished 9th in the 400m freestyle, 20th in the 800m freestyle and 13th in the 200m freestyle.

## Personal bests

    As of December 12, 2024
Long course :
| Event | Time | Meet | Date | Note(s) |
| 200 m freestyle | 1:56.06 | 2024 Summer Olympics | August 2, 2024 | SA |
| 400 m freestyle | 4:02.86 | 2024 World Championships | February 11, 2024 | SA |
| 800 m freestyle | 8:28.92 | 2024 Brazilian Olympic Swimming Trials | May 11, 2024 | NR |
Short course :
| Event | Time | Meet | Date | Note(s) |
| 200 m freestyle | 1:54.22 | 2024 World Championships | December 12, 2024 | SA |
| 400 m freestyle | 3:59.33 | José Finkel Trophy | August 13, 2024 | SA |