Diego Guimarães and Gianetti Bonfim named coaches of the year by COB | OneFootball

The 2025 Brazil Olympic Award will feature two coaches who helped write some of the most remarkable achievements in Brazilian sports this year. The recognition goes to Gianetti Bonfim, a historical figure in racewalking, and Diego Guimarães, a rising name in taekwondo.

Each of them played a decisive role in the campaigns that led Caio Bonfim and Henrique Marques to the top of the world in their respective sports.

Gianetti, who started racewalking after the age of 29 and built a successful career as an athlete, has dedicated the past few years to training new talents, including her own son: Caio.

The family partnership, which also involves her husband and coach João Sena, bore fruit again in 2025, when Caio won the world title in Tokyo and entered the race for Athlete of the Year. For her, who manages an athletics club in Sobradinho and was a multiple national and continental champion, the tribute has a special emotional significance.

“It is an honor, a pleasure, I feel immensely happy and honored to be receiving this award. I feel like the most important person in the world. When I saw other coaches winning awards, I dreamed of being there one day. As a woman working in racewalking, I will represent all the women in Brazil who, in some way, have to fight much harder than everyone else to get where they want,” said Gianetti.

In taekwondo, Diego Guimarães' journey is impressive for its humble beginnings and the scale it has reached. The coach, who set up his first gym in his backyard in Itaboraí, saw his long-term work yield its most significant result in 2025. Under his guidance, Henrique Marques became world champion in Wuxi, an unprecedented achievement for a Brazilian male athlete.

Diego described the award as an exciting surprise, especially in a year that had already been historic for Brazilian taekwondo.

“Receiving this award caught me by surprise. It was a reason for great joy and emotion. I knew I had a chance, but I didn't think I would win. I had never dreamed of winning this award, but after the world championship, I started to dream. This award crowned the special year that Taekwondo had, with so many positive results, the best year in the history of the sport worldwide. So, it's very gratifying to be part of this achievement,” said Diego.

The PBO ceremony, scheduled for December 11 at the City of Arts in Rio de Janeiro, will bring together athletes, coaches, and personalities who marked the season.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.