Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: São Paulo, Brazil
About Maria Laura Almirão
- Maria Laura Almirão (born September 20, 1977 in São Paulo) is a Brazilian sprinter, who specialized in the 400 metres.
- She is a two-time Olympian and a five-time medalist for the 400 metres and sprint relay at the Ibero-American Championships. Almirao qualified for the women's 400 metres at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, by winning the gold medal from the Ibero-American Championships in Huelva, Spain.
- She finished fifth in the second heat of the event by six hundredths of a second (0.06) behind Jamaica's Nadia Davy, with a time of 52.10 seconds.
- Almirao eventually joined the national sprint team for the women's 4 × 400 m relay, along with her compatriots Josiane Tito, Lucimar Teodoro, and Geisa Coutinho.
- She and her team placed sixth on the second heat of the relay, for a seasonal best time of 3:28.43. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Almirao competed again for the second time in individual and relay sprint events.
- For her first event, 400 metres, Almirao ran in the fourth heat against six other athletes, including Great Britain's Christine Ohuruogu, who eventually became an Olympic champion in the final.
- She finished the race again in fifth place by more than two seconds behind Ohuruogu, with a time of 53.26.
- Few days later, Almirao reunited with her teammates Lucimar Teodoro, Josiane Tito, and Emmily Pinheiro for the women's 4 × 400 m relay.
- She ran on the starting leg of the second heat, with an individual-split time of 53.49 seconds.
- Almirao and her team finished the relay in sixth place for a total time of 3:30.10, failing to advance into the final.Almirao is also a full-time member of Associação Profissionalizante BMF in São Caetano do Sul, being coached and trained by Japanese-born Katsuhito Nakaya.
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