The son of a policeman, Péricles Cavalcanti entered Rio de Janeiro’s military college in 1938 and quickly demonstrated a talent for equestrian riding. He soon branched out from winning army tournaments and, over the course of his career, earned 13 national titles (1951, 1955, 1959, 1965, 1969, 1970, 1974, 1977-78, 1983, 1985-86, and 1992) and was runner-up an additional seven times. Internationally, he represented Brazil at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, but failed to complete the three-day event. He also competed at the 1959 Pan American Games, the 1978 World Championships, and the 1977 South American Championships, winning silver at the latter tournament. Following his retirement from the military, at the rank of Colonel, he trained equestrian riders and served as Secretary of Physical Education and Sports in the Ministry of Education from 1979 through 1985.
Brazil