Alison dos Santos

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Alvesand the second or paternal family name is dos Santos.

Alison dos Santos

Santos winning the World Championships in 2022
Personal information
Full name	Alison Brendom Alves dos Santos [1]
Born	(2000-06-03) 3 June 2000 (age 24) [1] São Joaquim da Barra, São Paulo, Brazil [1] [2]
Height	2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) [1]
Sport
Country	Brazil
Sport	Athletics
Event	400 m hurdles
Club	Pinheiros-SP
Coached by	Felipe de Siqueira da Silva
Achievements and titles
Highest world ranking	1st (2023)
Personal bests	400 m hurdles: 46.29 AR (Eugene 2022)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing   Brazil Olympic Games 2020 Tokyo 400 m hurdles 2024 Paris 400 m hurdles World Championships 2022 Eugene 400 m hurdles World Relays 2021 Chorzów 4×400 m mixed Diamond League 2022 400 m hurdles 2024 400 m hurdles Pan American Games 2019 Lima 400 m hurdles South American Championships 2019 Lima 400 m hurdles 2019 Lima 4×400 m relay South American U23 Championships 2018 Cuenca 400 m hurdles 2018 Cuenca 400 m 2018 Cuenca 4×400 m relay World U20 Championships 2018 Tampere 400 m hurdles Pan American U20 Championships 2019 San José 400 m hurdles South American U20 Championships 2019 Cali 400 m World U18 Championships 2017 Nairobi 4×400 m mixed Universiade 2019 Naples 400 m hurdles

Alison Brendom Alves dos Santos (born 3 June 2000) ^[3] is a Brazilian athlete specialising in the 400 metres hurdles. He is a bronze medalist from the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics, the 2022 World Champion and the third fastest athlete in the history of the event, in addition to being a gold medalist in the 2019 Pan American Games. Dos Santos is currently the South American and Pan American record holder in the competition.

He was the 2022 Diamond League 400 m hurdles champion.

Early life

Alison Brendom Alves dos Santos was born on 3 June 2000 in São Joaquim da Barra, Brazil to father Gerson and mother Sueli. ^{[4] [5]} Alison is the last of four children and has three older sisters: Drieli, Andrieli, and Anieli. ^[6] His parents separated later. ^{[7] [8]}

As a 10-month-old, a domestic accident left him with third-degree oil burns on his head and characteristic scars. ^[9] While he was at his grandmother Geni's house one day, she warmed up a pan of hot oil to fry fish. He accidentally struck the handle of the pan and it flipped over, spilling hot oil all over him. His grandmother tried to stop him but was also hurt in the process. The oil got on her hands and she suffered burns as well. They both went to the hospital where he was hospitalised for four months at the Barretos Cancer Hospital. He still has visible scars on his forehead, scalp, face, chest, and left arm from the incident. He wears a cap or hat on his head during training to protect the area from the sun. ^{[7] [8] [10] [11]}

Alison was shy growing up, partly due to his scars, and stayed in his room alone until he started to become involved in sports. ^{[4] [8] [12]} As a child, he took a chance on judo. He practised from age 6 to 14. ^[10] It was during this period that he earned the nickname Piu, but soon left the mat for athletics. ^[13] Although he loved judo, the high cost associated with each training session caused him to abandon it in favour of athletics.

His family struggled to justify the amount of money they spent on judo which offered little potential for return. They were not wealthy, however, they saw an opportunity in athletics to make money, go to nationals, and win medals. Alison began athletics in 2013 at Pedro Badran State Technical School (ETEC) and was coached by Ana Fidélis. ^{[11] [12]} Within months, he no longer did athletics out of a financial need but because he truly enjoyed it and even made friends throughout the city, states, and country. ^[10] At the age of 16, he was already competing among adults. ^[13]

Career

2018

Dos Santos won a bronze medal at the 2018 World U20 Championships.

2019

At just 19 years old, he participated in the 2019 Pan American Games, held in Lima, Peru, where he won the 400m hurdles event, breaking his personal record, and the South American under-20 record, with the time of 48.45. It was the fourth best time in the world at the moment, and with that, Dos Santos qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics. He had already won gold in the same event, at the 2019 Summer Universiade, weeks before. ^[14]

In September 2019, Dos Santos went to the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, where he won the 400m hurdles semifinal in 48.35, breaking his personal record again and going to the final with the second best overall time. The last time a Brazilian had reached the final of this event in the Worlds was with Eronilde de Araújo, in 1999. In the final, he broke his personal record again, finishing in seventh place with a time of 48.28. He was just 0.25s from the bronze medalist. ^{[15] [16]}

2021

In April 2021, he broke his own Brazilian record again with a time of 48.15 in Des Moines, USA. On 9 May 2021, he broke the South American record that belonged since 2005 to Panama's athlete Bayano Kamani (47.84). Dos Santos obtained the 47.68 mark in the Mt.Sac stage of the Continental Athletics Tour in California (USA). On 28 May 2021, he again broke the South American record with a time of 47.57 in Doha, Qatar, participating in the Diamond League. This time placed Alison as third in the world ranking. He even topped the list in April. The time of 47.57 already placed him as 22nd best runner in the race of all time. ^{[17] [18]} On 1 July 2021, in the Oslo stage of the Diamond League, he again lowered his own South American record, with a time of 47.38. This time placed him, at the moment, as the 15th-best runner in the history of the race. ^[19] He improved this record with 47.34, three days later, winning in Stockholm Diamond League stage. ^[20]

Dos Santos celebrating his Olympic bronze medal.

At the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Alison qualified for the final of the 400 metres hurdles, breaking the South American record with a time of 47.31. ^[21] In the final, he got the bronze medal, breaking the South American record again by a large margin, with a time of 46.72 (he lowered his time by 0.6 seconds). Both he, Warholm and Benjamin surprisingly lowered their times: Warholm lowered the world record by almost 0.8 seconds (45.94), and Benjamin beat the Americas' record also by 0.8 seconds (46.17). The event was the strongest in 400m hurdles history, with the three Olympic medalists getting the three best times in the history of the event, all beating Kevin Young's old world record (which had lasted almost 30 years and had only fallen a month before the Olympics). Alison became the 3rd best in the history of the race at just 21 years old. ^{[22] [23] [24]}

2022

In April 2022, he made the second best Brazilian mark in history in the 400m, 44.54, an event that is not his specialty and what gave him the index to qualify for the Eugene World Championship (he would be a bronze medalist in the 400m with this mark, in this championship). ^[25] In May 2022 he won a gold medal in the Doha stage of the Diamond League with a time of 47.24, defeating Rai Benjamin. ^[26] In June 2022 he won a gold medal in the Stockholm stage of the Diamond League with a time of 46.80. ^[27]

On 19 July 2022, in the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, he broke the South American record again and the World Championship record in the 400 metres hurdles with a time of 46.29, becoming world champion, defeating Warholm and Benjamin. It was the first men's gold in the history of Brazil in the World Athletics Championships, and he became only the second Brazilian in history to be the world champion in outdoor athletics. The first was the pole vaulter Fabiana Murer eleven years earlier in Daegu, South Korea. Dos Santos was 0.13s from beating Benjamin's Americas record and 0.36s from beating Warholm's world record. ^{[28] [29] [30] [31] [32]} At the Diamond Race final in Zürich in September, he became the Diamond League champion in his specialist event. ^[3]

2023

On 14 February 2023, he underwent knee surgery after a serious injury. He developed a tear in the meniscus of his right knee that could only be corrected by operating. ^{[33] [34]} His recovery period was expected to last between 8 and 12 weeks. ^{[35] [36]} He came back on 16 July 2023, with his first race of the season being the Silesia stage of the Diamond League. He ran the 400m and finished in third place with a time of 44.73. ^{[37] [38]} Close to a week after, he improved upon this when he ran the 400m hurdles in the Monaco stage of the Diamond League and finished in second place on 21 July 2023. Next, the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary followed in August. He won his 400 metres hurdles heat in 48.12 to qualify for the semifinal where he finished second with a time of 47.38. During the final, he hit two barriers (in the eighth and tenth) and finished in fifth place with a time of 48.10. ^[39] He asked to be exempt from the 2023 Pan American Games so as not to jeopardize his preparation for the Olympics. ^[40]

2024

On May 10, at the Doha Stage of the 2024 Diamond League, he crossed the finish line with a time of 46.86 and took 1st place, breaking the league record. ^[41]

On May 31, 2024, at the Oslo stage of the Diamond League, he defeated Warholm within his country and took the lead in the 400m hurdles ranking for the year, with a time of 46.63. ^[42]

Achievements

Personal bests

Dos Santos celebrates his victory at the 2022 World Athletics Championships held in Eugene, Oregon.

• 400 m hurdles: 46.29 – Eugene, United States, 19 July 2022, South American record
• 400 m: 44.54 – Walnut, United States, 16 April 2022
• 4 × 400 m relay: 3:02.99 – Gainesville, United States, 30 March 2024

International competitions

Representing   Brazil

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Time	Notes
2017	World U18 Championships	Nairobi, Kenya	5th	400 m hurdles	53.98
			1st	4 × 400 m mixed	3:21.71
2018	World U20 Championships	Tampere, Finland	3rd	400 m hurdles	49.78
	South American U23 Championships	Cuenca, Ecuador	2nd	400 m	45.97
			1st	400 m hurdles	50.56
			2nd	4 × 400 m relay	3:09.90
2019	South American Championships	Lima, Peru	1st	400 m hurdles	49.88
			2nd	4 × 400 m relay	3:04.13
	South American U20 Championships	Cali, Colombia	1st	400 m	45.78	CR
	Universiade	Naples, Italy	1st	400 m hurdles	48.57	AU20R
	Pan American U20 Championships	San José, Costa Rica	1st	400 m hurdles	48.49	AU20R
	Pan American Games	Lima, Peru	1st	400 m hurdles	48.45	AU20R
	World Championships	Doha, Qatar	7th	400 m hurdles	48.28	AU20R
2021	World Relays	Chorzów, Poland	2nd	4 × 400 m mixed	3:17.54
	Olympic Games	Tokyo, Japan	3rd	400 m hurdles	46.72	AR
2022	World Championships	Eugene, United States	1st	400 m hurdles	46.29	CR AR
2023	World Championships	Budapest, Hungary	5th	400 m hurdles	48.10
2024	Olympic Games	Paris, France	3rd	400 m hurdles	47.26

Circuit wins and titles

• Diamond League 400 m hurdles champion: 2022, ^[43] 2024

400 metres hurdles wins, other events specified in parentheses

• 2021 (2): Stockholm Bauhaus-Galan, Brussels Memorial Van Damme
• 2022 (7): Doha Diamond League (WL MR), Eugene Prefontaine Classic (WL), Oslo Bislett Games, Stockholm (WL MR), Chorzów Kamila Skolimowska Memorial (MR), Brussels, Zürich Weltklasse

Season's best

• 2017 – 53.82 (17 years old)
• 2018 – 49.78
• 2019 – 48.28
• 2020 – no competitions held
• 2021 – 46.72
• 2022 – 46.29
• 2023 – 47.38
• 2024 – 46.63

References

1. "Alison dos Santos". Olympedia.org. OlyMADmen . Retrieved 23 July 2022.
2. Fraga, João (20 April 2019). "Alison dos Santos quebra recorde sul-americano sub-20". Olimpiada Todo Dia (in Portuguese). Retrieved 3 June 2019.
3. Alison dos Santos at World Athletics
4. "Mãe de Alison dos Santos diz que atletismo o ajudou a vencer timidez". UOL (in Brazilian Portuguese). 3 August 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
5. Webrun, Redação (3 August 2021). "Alison dos Santos faz história e conquista o bronze nos Jogos de Tóquio". Webrun | Corrida, saúde, qualidade de vida (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 29 September 2023.
6. Rossi, André (3 August 2021). "'Agora sou um medalhista olímpico, inicia outra etapa da vida', afirma Piu". Olimpíada Todo Dia (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 29 September 2023.
7. Gabriel, João; Santos, Bruno (4 August 2021). "Na infância, Alison dos Santos era 'Teco' e teve de superar timidez para entrar no atletismo". Folha de S.Paulo (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 27 September 2023.
8. Gabriel, João; Santos, Bruno (5 August 2021). "As A Child, Alison dos Santos Had to Overcome His Shyness to Enter Athletics". Folha de S.Paulo. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
9. Vecchioli, Demétrio (8 August 2019). "Aposta do atletismo Alison Santos e ouro nos 400m com barreira com folga". UOL Esporte (in Portuguese). Retrieved 23 August 2019.
10. Mulkeen, Jon (2 January 2020). "Dos Santos - clearing barriers to pave the way for future stars | FEATURE | World Athletics". World Athletics. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
11. Dennehy, Cathal (23 August 2022). "Now established among world elite, Dos Santos relishes first season as a senior | FEATURES | World Athletics". World Athletics. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
12. Watta, Evelyn (9 March 2022). "Olympic bronze medallist Alison dos Santos: "We are not seeing history, we are making history."". Olympics.
13. "Conheça Alison dos Santos, vítima de acidente doméstico aos 10 meses, e medalha de bronze em Tóquio". Terra (in Portuguese). 2 August 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
14. Merguizo, Marcel (8 August 2019). "Alison dos Santos conquista medalha de ouro nos 400m com barreira com melhor marca da carreira". Globo Esporte (in Portuguese).
15. Dilascio, Flávio; Roseguini, Guilherme & Dillon, Lorena (28 September 2019). "Paulo André para na semifinal, e Christian Coleman é campeão mundial dos 100m em Doha". Globo Esporte (in Portuguese).
16. Dilascio, Flávio; Roseguini, Guilherme & Dillon, Lorena (30 September 2019). "Revelação do Mundial, Alison Brendom faz melhor tempo da vida e fica em 7º em final em Doha". Globo Esporte (in Portuguese).
17. "Alison Santos quebra recorde e é 2º nos 400m com barreiras em Doha". Globo Esporte (in Portuguese). 28 May 2021.
18. "Alison dos Santos bate recorde sul-americano dos 400m com barreiras". Globo Esporte (in Portuguese). 9 May 2021.
19. "Warholm quebra recorde mundial, e Alison é 2º com recorde sul-americano". Globo Esporte (in Portuguese). 1 July 2021.
20. "Alison dos Santos vence e bate recorde sul-americano nos 400m com barreira na Diamond League". Globo Esporte (in Portuguese). 4 July 2021.
21. Conde, Paulo Roberto (1 August 2021). "Alison dos Santos vai à final dos 400m com barreiras; Paulo André fica fora de decisão dos 100m rasos". Globo Esporte (in Portuguese).
22. Dilascio, Flávio & Conde, Paulo Roberto (3 August 2021). "Saiba quem é o medalhista olímpico Alison dos Santos, mais conhecido como "Piu"". Globo Esporte (in Portuguese).
23. Conde, Paulo Roberto (3 August 2021). "Alison dos Santos conquista bronze nos 400m com barreiras nas Olimpíadas de Tóquio". Globo Esporte (in Portuguese).
24. "Warholm smashes world 400m hurdles record with incredible 45.94 run in Tokyo". World Athletics. 3 August 2021.
25. "Alison dos Santos faz 2ª melhor marca brasileira da história nos 400m rasos". Olimpiadatododia (in Portuguese). 16 April 2022.
26. "Alison dos Santos conquista ouro na Diamond League". Globo Esporte (in Portuguese). 13 May 2022.
27. "Hurdles records for Dos Santos and Bol". World Athletics. 30 June 2022.
28. RESULTS - 400 Metres Hurdles Men - Final
29. Alison dos Santos é campeão mundial dos 400m com barreira
30. Brazil's dos Santos wins 400m hurdles world final, Warholm denied
31. Alison Piu é campeão mundial nos 400m com barreiras em conquista inédita
32. Alison dos Santos sets 400m hurdles World Championships record as Warholm fades in final
33. "Alison dos Santos passa por cirurgia e já inicia fisioterapia nesta terça". Comitê Olímpico do Brasil. 14 February 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
34. Philip (8 February 2023). "Alison dos Santos suffers knee injury and will undergo surgery - News Bulletin 247". New Bulletin 247. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
35. Zalcman, Fernanda (3 May 2023). "Alison dos Santos: qual estado da recuperação e sua previsão de retorno". Olympics. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
36. "Medallista olímpico brasileño Alison dos Santos al quirófano por grave lesión". SWI swissinfo.ch (in Spanish). 8 February 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
37. Chavez, Chris (20 July 2023). "How Alison dos Santos Came Back From A Knee Injury To Save 2023 Season". CITIUS MAG. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
38. Andrade, Juliana, ed. (17 July 2023). "Alison dos Santos achieves Olympic and world qualifying time". Agência Brasil. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
39. Após bater em duas barreiras, Alison dos Santos fica em quinto lugar no Mundial de Atletismo
40. Piu pede dispensa e não vai ao Jogos Pan-Americanos de Santiago
41. Alison dos Santos vence e quebra recorde na Diamond League
42. Alison dos Santos torna-se líder do ranking
43. Gault, Jonathan; Johnson, Robert (7 September 2022). "2022 DL Final Day 1: Kenyans Nicholas Kipkorir & Beatrice Chebet Kick to 5K Wins as Kovacs Moves to #2 All-Time". LetsRun.com . Retrieved 7 September 2022.

External links

• Alison dos Santos at World Athletics
• Alison dos Santos at Olympedia
• Alison dos Santos at Olympics.com
• Alison dos Santos at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics
• Alison Brendom Alves dos Santos at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games
• Alison dos Santos at the Comitê Olímpico do Brasil (archived) (in Portuguese)