Who is Luiz Mauricio da Silva? All you need to know about newest entrant in 90m club

The Brazilian recently entered the history books.

On a warm August 3 afternoon in São Paulo, Luiz Maurício da Silva produced a moment that few people have managed in the history of the sport. The 25-year-old’s throw carried him into the rare company of the few athletes in history who have crossed the 90-meter barrier after throwing 91 m at the Brazilian Championships.

That throw also pushed him ahead of India’s Neeraj Chopra in the 2025 season-best list and secured the 18th spot in the all-time world rankings. Even more remarkably, Da Silva broke his personal best on his very first attempt of 90.68 m before bettering it with the 91m mark.

“I still don’t know how to describe what that event was like,” he said afterward. “I always aimed to reach 90 meters, because you always see throwers throwing far, but few go above that mark. It’s a select group that achieved this feat.”

That’s just a small part of the Brazilian’s story, and when we look at his full journey, it becomes much clearer how he reached this point. Here’s everything you need to know about him.

First South American to cross 90 meters in javelin

The Sao Paulo feat made him the first South American to clear 90 meters in the discipline and the second-best thrower in the history of the Americas with just USA’s Breaux Greer ahead of him [91.29 m].

To put things in perspective, his 91m throw would have won gold at every Olympic Games except Paris 2024. There, he would have gotten silver because Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem threw 92.97m and broke the Olympic record

“It’s historic, and being able to do it in Brazil carries even more weight.” Da Silva told reporters. “Being here at the Trophy and throwing 90 meters in Brazil. It’s cool to be part of the history books.”

This achievement came just months after Da Silva had pushed Neeraj Chopra at the Paris Diamond League in June 2025. There, he set the then-South American record of 86.62 m and placed third, with Chopra taking gold at 88.16 m.

First Brazilian to reach Olympic finals since 1932

The Brazilian hasn’t just started breaking records this year. He has been doing it for a couple of years now. Last year at the Summer Olympics in Paris, he threw 85.91m in the qualifying round. This broke the South American record again and made him the first Brazilian to reach a javelin final since 1932.

That year, when there were no qualifying rounds, Heitor Medina finished 11th. Da Silva entered the Olympic final ranked sixth but ended in 11th with 80.67m, equaling Brazil’s best-ever finish in the event

“Reaching the Olympic Games is a dream come true for athletes, and it was no different for me,” he told the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB). “A few months before, I didn’t have the mark to go to the Games; I was ranked 32nd, and there are 32 of us competing.”

Learning on the European circuit

The Brazilian, who was born in Juiz de Fora on January 17, 2000, credits much of his growth to competing.

“Competing and training in Europe gave me a better understanding of the competitive atmosphere,” he said via COB.

“What it’s like to compete with the best before the main event, which will be in Tokyo. In Japan, I’ll use that to be more productive. I’m already used to competing with them. It’ll be more mentally calming.”

The Brazilian will be next seen at the Silesia Diamond League in Poland on August 16 and later at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, which will take place from September 13 to 21.

Luiz Mauricio da Silva’s progression-

*The results are only for finals and don’t include qualifying results-

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