Claudinei da Silva represented Brazil at both the Summer and Winter Olympics during his career. He competed as a sprinter on a paved track and as a bobsledder on a frozen track. CGTN Sports Scene's Greg Laffradi spoke to him at the Brazil House about his experiences as a dual Olympian.

"I took silver at the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics, in the men's 4×100 meter relay," he said. "When my career as a sprinter ended, and I retired from track and field, I decided to turn to bobsleigh. And after less than six years, I competed at the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics, right here in Italy."

Da Silva felt the most difficult part of the transition from sprinting to bobsleigh was jumping into the sled swiftly enough to stay in contention.

"The change from sprinting to bobsleigh was actually not very difficult, because sprinters have the necessary speed and power to push the sled," he recalled. "But the difficulty was more about the agility required to quickly get inside the bobsleigh."

Despite the various challenges he faced, the 55-year-old has always been confident about his decision to switch from athletics to bobsleigh, attributing his embrace of the sporting shift to a positive mentality.

"Brazilians can achieve whatever they want when they set their minds to it," he concluded. "So that's what I did."

As a Brazil House athlete ambassador at Milano Cortina 2026, the dual Olympian revealed that he hopes to bring some joy and cheer to the team. Da Silva also shared that he enjoys watching skeleton, which he described as the "Formula One of Winter Sports."