Luca Urlando Will Miss Remainder of College Season For Shoulder Surgery
At last week’s FINA World Cup in Indianapolis, University Georgia junior Luca Urlando suffered an injury midway through his 100 individual medley preliminary heat. Urlando slowed precipitously as he switched from backstroke to breaststroke, and he did not compete again at the meet. Now, Urlando has revealed he suffered from a dislocated shoulder which will sideline him for the rest of the college season.
In an Instagram post Wednesday evening, Urlando revealed that this was his third time dislocating the shoulder, and because of the recurring injury, he has decided to take the time away to get healthy.
Urlando wrote: “As many of you know, I had a setback this last week that will need medical attention. During the 100 IM at the Indy World Cup, I dislocated my shoulder for the third time. With the support of family, friends, and coaches, I have decided to undergo shoulder surgery to prevent further dislocations and restore the anatomy. I am taking this collegiate season off, but will be documenting my rehab/progression. Grateful and appreciative for all the good wishes from everyone, and I look forward to competing full strength soon.”
The 20-year-old originally from Sacramento, Calif., was coming off one of his finest seasons in 2022. After missing the U.S. Olympic team by less than a tenth in the 200 butterfly in 2021, Urlando had a breakout second collegiate season for the Bulldogs. At the NCAA Championships in March 2022, he finished second in the 100 and 200-yard fly at the NCAA Championships by extremely narrow margins and third in the 200 IM, and in a big surprise, he broke Ryan Murphy’s American record in the 100-yard back leading off Georgia’s 400 medley relay.
One month later, Urlando qualified for his first World Championships team by winning the 200-meter fly at the U.S. International Team Trials, and he ended up finishing fifth in the event at Worlds. If Urlando hopes to return to the international scene in 2023, he will need to return to full training in time to prepare for USA Swimming’s trials in Indianapolis, set for late June.