The middle day of finals at the 2017 Brazilian Swimming Championships featured a pair of swims that rank among the top three in the world: Gabriel Silva Santos’s 100 free and Joao Gomes’ 50 breast. Additionally, four other swimmers posted world top-six times, and both Jhennifer Alves Conceicao and Joanna Maranhao took down her own Brazilian record in the women’s 200 fly.
Read a full recap of the action below.
Women’s 100 Free
Manuella Lyrio blasted an impressive 54.80 to win the race by more than a half-second. She trailed Alessandra Marchioro and was just ahead of Daynara De Paula at the halfway point but ended up pulling ahead to take the victory.
De Paula took second in 55.36, and Machioro was third in 55.92.
Men’s 100 Free
Competing on his 21st birthday, Gabriel Silva Santos threw down a monster time en route to victory in the 100 free final, leading wire-to-wire and coming in at 48.11 for the victory. That moved him to third in the world this year, ahead the previous two Olympic gold medalists in the event, Nathan Adrian (48.18) and Kyle Chalmers (48.20). Only Duncan Scott (47.90) and Cameron McEvoy (47.91) have gone quicker.
Marcelo Chierighini finished second in 48.76, just off his 10th-ranked prelims time of 48.46, and third went to Cesar Cielo in 48.92. The world record-holder in the event and the 2008 Olympic gold medalist in the 50 free, Cielo looks to be back on Brazil’s World Championships team as a member of the 400 free relay after missing out on the Rio Games.
Matheus Santana was fourth in 49.01, and Bruno Fratus, who blasted a 48.50 in prelims, ended up fifth in 49.17. Regardless of which four compete, Brazil looks to bring a strong 400 free relay squad to Budapest.
Women’s 50 Breast
Jhennifer Alves Conceicao edged ahead of Macarena Allen Ceballos to win the 50 breast, 30.63 to 30.99. Those times rank fifth and 11th, respectively, in the world so far this year, and Conceicao’s time was good for a new Brazilian record.
Julia Sebastian took third in 31.31.
Men’s 50 Breast
Joao Gomes rocketed to a 26.83 to win the men’s sprint breaststroke event, becoming only the third man to crack the 27-second barrier this season. Gomes had to earn every bit of the race, however, as Felipe Lima was just behind, coming in at 27.00 for second. Lima’s time improved him to fourth in the world.
Felipe Franca Silva, a former World Champion in the event, found himself having to settle for third, his time of 27.32 only good for a tie with Pedro Brasil Cardona and not enough for a trip to the World Championships in Budapest.
Women’s 50 Back
Etiene Medeiros dominated the 50 back, touching in 27.62 to win the race by a whopping nine tenths of a second. While she was short of her Brazilian record of 27.26 set on her way to a World title two years ago in Kazan, she did improve to sixth in this year’s world rankings.
Finishing well back in second was Andrea Eliana Berrino, who touched in 28.52, and teenager Ana Giulia Pereira took third in 29.54.
Men’s 50 Back
Guilherme Guido won his second sprint backstroke title of the meet, capturing the win in the 50 back in 24.72. While he was not as dominant as was Medeiros in the women’s race, he was plenty quick enough to beat out the field by more than a half-second and improve to fourth in the world this year.
Gabriel Araujo Fantoni captured second-place honors in 25.26, just ahead of Guilherme Dias Masse (25.38).
Women’s 200 Fly
Joanna Maranhao clipped her own Brazilian record as she dominated the field in the women’s 200 fly, winning the race by almost five seconds. She touched in 2:09.22, quicker than the 2:09.38 she swam two years earlier at the Pan American Games — even if the time does leave her just outside the world top-20 this year.
Second place went to Giovanna Tomanik, a decade Maranhao’s younger, as Tomanik touched in 2:14.13. Just behind was Virginia Bardach Martin in 2:14.34.
Men’s 200 Fly
Leonardo De Deus stormed out of lane two to pull ahead of the field and win the national title. His time of 1:54.91 was good enough for fourth in the world rankings, just behind the 1:54.89 recorded by Olympic bronze medalist Tomas Kenderesi.
Kaio Almeida, the Brazilian record holder in the event, finished second in 1:56.85, and Luis Lopes Melo finished third in 1:57.15.
