Fernando Pimenta
- Country
- Portugal
- Club
- S.L. Benfica
- National team
- Portugal Canoe Sprint
- Born
- 1989-08-13
Fernando Pimenta is the most decorated canoeist Portugal has ever produced — a sprint kayaker from Ponte de Lima, born on 13 August 1989, who has carried S.L. Benfica's colours since 2018 and remains a podium threat every time a K1 hits the water, from 500 m all the way to marathon distance. His medal haul spans three Olympic cycles and two disciplines. At 22 he won Olympic silver in the K2 1000 at London 2012 alongside Emanuel Silva, and nine years later added K1 1000 bronze in Tokyo. On the world stage he owns three K1 1000 titles (2018, 2021, 2023) and back-to-back K1 5000 crowns (2017, 2018), on top of a run of European golds stretching back to 2011. The marathon chapter is just as striking. Pimenta took the K1 short-race world title in 2022, 2023 and again at the 2025 worlds in Győr, where he also defended the K2 crown with José Ramalho. At home he is untouchable: in March 2026 in Mirandela he claimed the Portuguese long-distance national title for the eighteenth consecutive year. The 2026 season has brought 18 international starts and seven podium finishes — five of them wins — across the [European Championships in Montemor-o-Velho](/news/european-canoe-sprint-championships-2026-wrap-up-en) and the World Cup circuit, from [Szeged](/news/icf-canoe-sprint-world-cup-szeged-2026-sun-shines-in-sprint) to [Montreal](/news/montreal-canoe-sprint-world-cup-2026-recap-en). With the World Championships in Poznań (26–30 August) next on the calendar and Los Angeles 2028 qualification running through the world rankings, the 36-year-old shows no sign of slowing down.