University of Georgia Athletics
Pereira Wins Gold At South American Championships
October 22, 2021 | Track & Field
GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador --- Bulldog track and field senior Alencar Pereira won a gold medal in the hammer throw at the 2021 South American U-23 Championships in Ecuador recently.
Representing his home country of Brazil, Pereira lifted his sixth and final toss 69.81 meters/229 feet to top the nearest competitor by more than 20 feet. This is the eighth-longest throw in school history and is the second-longest performance of his life.
"My coach and I did a great job during last season, but the time was too short to get my best result," said Pereira, who is coached by Bulldog throws coach Don Babbitt. "I have had a few months to improve my performance since my transfer last January. Since my return from summer vacation, my technique has become much more consistent, I have gained some body weight and my strength work has improved so we knew I was prepared to achieve the best result of the year, and that's exactly what happened.
"I'm very happy for the result and title. This is my fifth international competition representing my nation and I'm much happier for getting very close to my personal best after such difficult times during the pandemic. I felt in the competition that I could beat (my personal best) but unfortunately I didn't get it. Now I'm working on the logistics for one last competition in November to try to achieve this PB and consequently get the Brazilian U23 national record since this is my last year in the category. The Pan American U23 championship will be the most important competition in the Americas, and it makes me very excited to fight for this title."
Pereira spent this first full year with the Bulldogs in 2020-21, scoring at the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships in the hammer and advancing to the NCAA Championships in the event. Pereira, who set Brazilian national records in the hammer and was the 2019 NJCAA national champion, also scored in the weight throw indoors for Georgia during his first season in red and black. He began his U.S. collegiate career at Barton Community College (Kan.) in 2019 before transferring to the University of Nebraska for a year.
The Bulldogs begin their 2022 indoor season at the Clemson Invitational on Jan. 14-15. The outdoor campaign is set to start on March 18-19 at the Yellow Jacket Invitational in Atlanta.
Keeping Up With The Dogs: Updates from Georgia's track and field and cross country teams can always be found on Twitter/Instagram (UGATrack).
Representing his home country of Brazil, Pereira lifted his sixth and final toss 69.81 meters/229 feet to top the nearest competitor by more than 20 feet. This is the eighth-longest throw in school history and is the second-longest performance of his life.
"My coach and I did a great job during last season, but the time was too short to get my best result," said Pereira, who is coached by Bulldog throws coach Don Babbitt. "I have had a few months to improve my performance since my transfer last January. Since my return from summer vacation, my technique has become much more consistent, I have gained some body weight and my strength work has improved so we knew I was prepared to achieve the best result of the year, and that's exactly what happened.
"I'm very happy for the result and title. This is my fifth international competition representing my nation and I'm much happier for getting very close to my personal best after such difficult times during the pandemic. I felt in the competition that I could beat (my personal best) but unfortunately I didn't get it. Now I'm working on the logistics for one last competition in November to try to achieve this PB and consequently get the Brazilian U23 national record since this is my last year in the category. The Pan American U23 championship will be the most important competition in the Americas, and it makes me very excited to fight for this title."
Pereira spent this first full year with the Bulldogs in 2020-21, scoring at the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships in the hammer and advancing to the NCAA Championships in the event. Pereira, who set Brazilian national records in the hammer and was the 2019 NJCAA national champion, also scored in the weight throw indoors for Georgia during his first season in red and black. He began his U.S. collegiate career at Barton Community College (Kan.) in 2019 before transferring to the University of Nebraska for a year.
The Bulldogs begin their 2022 indoor season at the Clemson Invitational on Jan. 14-15. The outdoor campaign is set to start on March 18-19 at the Yellow Jacket Invitational in Atlanta.
Keeping Up With The Dogs: Updates from Georgia's track and field and cross country teams can always be found on Twitter/Instagram (UGATrack).
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