Paula Amidani

Paula Amidani (born 1982) is a Brazilian retired wushu taolu athlete. She is one of the most decorated Latin American wushu athletes of all time, having been one of the first athletes from Latin America to win a medal at the World Wushu Championships.

Career

Competitive wushu Amidani was born in 1982 in Brasília, Brazil. At the age of ten in 1992, she started practicing wushu. In 1996, she joined the inaugural Brazilian national wushu team. Her international debut was at the 2001 World Wushu Championships where she won a bronze medal in changquan. The same year, she participated in the representing . Amidani was filmed performing a jump and herself and the sport of wushu quickly gained attention in Brazil, leading to her appearances on and Programa do Jô. A year later, Amidani won a silver medal in jianshu and bronze medals in changquan and gunshu at the 2002 Pan American Wushu Championships.

In 2004, Amidani became the female all-around champion at the Collegiate Wushu Tournament in the United States. Shortly after while training in the US for Cirque du Soleil's Kà, Amidani suffered a severe injury which worsened into a pulmonary embolism which caused cardiorespiratory arrest. She was sent to the intensive care unit and was in a coma for fifteen days. Amidani slowly recovered afterwards. Her return to international competition was at the 2006 Pan American Wushu Championships where she won a silver medal in changquan.

Amidani competed in the 2008 Pan American Wushu Championships and won a gold medal in duilian as well as silver medals in changquan and jianshu and a bronze medal in qiangshu. Shortly after, she took a break from wushu citing pregnancy and personal issues. She slowly returned to wushu training in 2010. After retiring, she became a member of the International Wushu Federation athlete's committee, and was a key member in organizing for the 2025 World Wushu Championships.

Social work Amidani is a volunteer coach of the Jovens Talentos project organized by the Ministry of Sports. She is also a CrossFit athlete, instructor, and referee.