After winning three golds at the Paris Paralympics in 2024, Araújo repeated that haul in the World Para Swimming Championships in Singapore, with victory in the 50m and 100m backstroke, plus the 200m freestyle, all in the S2 category. The 23-year-old from Santa Luzia also improved his own SM2 world record in the men's 150m individual medley, racing in the SM3 final.

Italian Paralympic legend Bebe Vio and Laureus Ambassador André Villas-Boas named Araújo as the 2026 Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability, and the Brazilian Paralympian then received a standing ovation from the athletes and guests in the room.