Born in São Bernardo do Campo, he grew into a tall and muscular athlete at 1.94 m and 88 kg.[2] De Souza was a three-time winner at the Brazilian Athletics Championships, taking wins in 1994, 1996 and 1998. His jumps of 8.20 m (26 ft 10+3⁄4 in) then 8.29 m (27 ft 2+1⁄4 in) were championship record marks.[3] His lifetime best of 8.40 m (27 ft 6+1⁄2 in), achieved in São Paulo on 15 February 1995, is the Brazilian national record for the long jump and was a South American record at the time, standing until 2006, at which point it was beaten by Panamanian Irving Saladino.[4]