José Couto

At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States, he swam a 2.17.28 in the prelims of the 200-metre breaststroke to set a new Portuguese record in the event but did not advance to the final.[4]

Stop 1: Espoo

On the first day of the short course 1997 FINA Swimming World Cup in Espoo, Finland, Couto won a bronze medal in the 200-metre breaststroke, finishing in a time of 2.15.81 seconds with Polish Mark Krawczyk, gold medalist, and Raiko Pachel, silver medalist.[5]

Stop 2: Malmo

At stop number two of the World Cup series, held in Malmö, Sweden, Couto improved upon his placement, this time winning the gold medal in the 200-metre breaststroke with a time of 2.14.98 seconds and sharing the podium with American Travis Myers, gold medalist, and Peter Aronsson, silver medalist.[6]

At the 1997 European Championships held in December 1997 in Seville, Spain, Couto placed fifth in the final, breaking the Portuguese national record with a time of 2.14.90 seconds.[7]

In the preliminary heats of the 200-metre breaststroke at the 1998 World Aquatics Championships on 8 January, Couto placed fourteenth in the preliminaries with a time of 2.17.51 seconds. He ranked sixth in the evening B final, swimming in a 2.18.37 seconds.[8]

Starting out at the first short course 1999 FINA Swimming World Cup stop in Paris, France, Couto placed 4th in the final in the 100-metre breaststroke set at 1.01.28 seconds.[9]

For the 1999 World Championships held 1–4 April at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Hong Kong, Couto placed 6th in the final in the 200-metre breaststroke,[10] set at 2.09.56 seconds. Also, placed 7th in the final in the 200-metre breaststroke.[11]

For the 1999 European Championships held in Istanbul, Turkey from 26 July to 1 August, in the 50 m pool of the Ataköy Olympic Pool Stadium, Couto placed 7th in the final of the 200-metre breaststroke set at 2.16.05 seconds.[12]

The 1999 European Short Course Championships held in Complexo Desportivo do Jamor in Lisboa, Portugal, from 9 to 11 December, Couto won a silver medal in the 200-metre breaststroke with a 2.09.98, finishing 2.16 seconds behind first-place finisher Stéphan Perrot of France, and 1 second ahead of third-place finisher Adam Whitehead, bronze medalist.[13] In the final of the 100-metre breaststroke the following day, he won the bronze medal with a time of 59.70 seconds.[14]

The 2000 European Championships held in 3 July to 9 July 2000 in Helsinki, Finland, Couto placed 7th in the final in the 200-metre breaststroke, in 2.16.59 seconds.[15]

At the 2000 Summer Olympics held from 15 September to 1 October 2000 in Sydney, Australia, he swam a 1.02.79 in the prelims of the 100-metre breaststroke[16] finishing 18th, and the 200-metre breaststroke,[17] finishing 26th.

At the 2001 World Championships held from 15 September to 1 October 2000 in Fukuoka, Japan, Couto placed tenth in the evening semifinals of the 200-metre breaststroke,[18] placed eleventh in the evening semifinals of the 100-metre breaststroke,[19] and placed fifteen in the evening semifinals of the 50-metre breaststroke.[20]

At the 2002 European Short Course Championships in Moscow, Russia, Couto turned in his best performance in an international tournament, winning the silver medal in the 50-metre breaststroke finishing in a time of 27.22 seconds, which was 0.80 seconds slower than the gold medalist and world record holder in the event Oleg Lisogor.[21] In his second event, he placed 6th in the 200-metre breaststroke, finishing in a time of 2.09.14 seconds.[22]

The 2004 European Championships held in Madrid, Spain from 5–16 May, at the M86 Swimming Center, Couto split a 1.03.54 for the breaststroke leg of the 4×100 metre medley relay, placed ninth with a final relay time of 3:46.11 seconds.[23]

At the 2004 Summer Olympics held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece, he placed 33th in the prelims heats of the 100-metre breaststroke with a final time of 1.03.72 seconds.[24]