To see all of our 2020 Swammy Awards, click here.
2020 South American Female Swimmer of the Year: Julia Sebastian, Argentina
Julia Sebastian broke two continental records in an outstanding short course season for the LA Current.
Sebastian was the 2018 winner of this Swammy Award, when she broke the South American record in the 200 short course meter breaststroke. This time around, Sebastian broke both 100 and 200 breaststroke records in short course meters.
She was 1:05.06 in the 100 breast and 2:20.51 in the 200 breast at the International Swimming League (ISL) final. That 200 breast brought a 5th-place finish and a valuable four points for the LA Current, one of the four ISL finalist teams this season.
Without branching beyond breaststroke, Sebastian still carried a heavy load for the Current this season, leading the team in all three breaststroke events and carrying a key leg of the team’s women’s medley relay. In that final, Sebastian split 1:05.0 on the medley.
Sebastian broke 100 and 200 breast South American records in 2019, but the coronavirus pandemic mostly robbed her of chances to lower those records in the year 2020. Still, the Argentine breaststroker made the best of it, and her two dominant short course records suggest she’s gaining momentum into next summer’s Olympics.
Honorable Mention
In no particular order:
- Jhennifer Conceicao, Brazil: Conceicao set the other South American record on the women’s side this year, going 29.91 in the 50 breast in the International Swimming League. Swimming for the expansion Toronto Titans, Conceicao was a scorer in three regular-season meets and in the semifinal, where she broke the continental record while just missing the second round of the 50 breast skin race.
- Etiene Medeiros, Brazil: A former winner of this award, Medeiros was another productive ISL contributor this year, scoring in all four regular-season meets for the Aqua Centurions. She swam the skin races in both backstroke and freestyle, highlighted by a trip to the skins semifinals in match #6.
PAST WINNERS
- 2013 Swammy — Poliana Okimoto, Brazil
- 2014 Swammy — Etiene Medeiros, Brazil
- 2015 Swammy — Ana Marcela Cunha, Brazil
- 2016 Swammy — Etiene Medeiros, Brazil
- 2017 Swammy — Etiene Medeiros, Brazil
- 2018 Swammy — Julia Sebastian, Argentina
- 2019 Swammy – Delfina Pignatiello, Argentina
- 2020 Swammy – Julia Sebastian, Argentina
