Davi Villam’s journey at the IV South American Youth Games began on April 16, when he claimed his first medal in swimming in the men’s 200m individual medley, where he set a South American junior record (RSJ) with a time of 2:01.38, sharing the podium with his compatriot Pedro Oliveira, who won the silver medal.
Born in Bello Horizonte, Brazil, he is an athlete built to win medals across multiple events and that’s exactly what Davi Villam did in Panama, winning a total of 9 medals: 8 gold and 1 silver. His victories came in the men’s 100m backstroke, 100m butterfly, 200m backstroke, 200m individual medley, 4x100m men’s freestyle relay, 4x100m men’s medley relay, 50m backstroke, and 50m butterfly, along with one silver medal.
The 18 year old Brazilian successfully closed out his final event in the 4x100m mixed medley relay, alongside his teammates Kaua Santos, Ana Julia Aguiar, and Joice Otero, where they played the notes of Brazil’s national anthem at the Aquatic Complex of the Luis Carlos “Matador” Tejada Hansell High Performance Center.
The Time Brasil delegation became the overall champion in the swimming medal table with a total of 45 medals (21 gold, 15 silver, and 9 bronze) at the IV South American Youth Games Panama 2026, surpassing the mark set in Rosario 2022. They proudly raised the Brazilian flag in the Isthmus of Panama, reaffirming the present and future of Brazilian swimming on the road toward the Olympic cycle leading to Los Angeles 2028.
