Nationality Brazil Weight 80 kg | Height 1.82 m | |
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Full name Thiago Farias Monte Monteiro Born June 15, 1981 (age 35)
Fortaleza, Ceará ( 1981-06-15 ) | ||
Thiago Farias Monte Monteiro (born June 15, 1981 in Fortaleza, Ceará), is a Brazilian table tennis player. He has won several medals in single, double, and team events in the Pan American Games and currently plays for Angers Vaillante in France. He is referred to as the next Hugo Hoyama and is currently ranked #1 player in Brazil and #21 in France.
Thiago participated in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece but was eliminated by Li Ching (Hong Kong) losing 4 - 1. He also competed in the 2008 Olympic Games playing for the Brazilian team and singles. He played in the team event at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Along with Gustavo Tsuboi and Hugo Hoyama, Monteiro was part of the winning team at the 2007 Pan American Games and 2011 Pan American Games. Along with Hoyama, Monteiro has also received the bronze medal in 2007.
Early career
Thiago was influenced by his father, a table tennis coach. Until the age of 12 Monteiro divided his attention between table tennis and futsal, where he also won two state championships. After winning his first Brazilian table tennis title in 1993, he decided to dedicate himself exclusively to table tennis. This title allowed him to compete for the South American Championships in 1995 where he won gold in the singles bringing him to the attention of the Brazilian National Team, which he joined in 1998.