Alison dos Santos

Alison Brendom Alves dos Santos (born 3 June 2000) is a Brazilian sprinter 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 record holder in the 400m hurdles and 300m hurdles, and world record holder in the rarely run 200m hurdles.

He was the 2022 Diamond League 400 m hurdles champion.

Dos Santos was born on 3 June 2000 in São Joaquim da Barra, Brazil to father Gerson and mother Sueli. Dos Santos is the last of four children and has three older sisters: Drieli, Andrieli, and Anieli. His parents separated later.

As a 10-month-old, a domestic accident left him with third-degree oil burns on his head and characteristic scars. 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.

Dos Santos was shy growing up, partly due to his scars, and stayed in his room alone until he started to become involved in sports. As a child, he took a chance on judo. He practised from age 6 to 14. It was during this period that he earned the nickname Piu, but soon left the mat for athletics. 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. Dos Santos began athletics in 2013 at Pedro Badran State Technical School (ETEC) and was coached by Ana Fidélis. 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. At the age of 16, he was already competing among adults.

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

At just 19 years old, he participated in the 2019 Pan American Games, held in Lima, Peru, where he won the 400 m hurdles event, breaking 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.