Though all eyes were on the winning Brazilian team of Bruno Fratus, Joao Gomes, Henrique de Souza, and Henrique Rodrigues in the main competition at the Raia Rápida in Rio’s Olympic Aquatic Center, four-time Olympian Gustavo Borges was the star of the masters competition.
Borges broke 25 in the 50m free for 24.91, rocketing to the top of the 40-44 Brazilian masters rankings. He unseated Rafael de Aquino‘s 24.94 from back in May.
The 24.91 is fast for his age group, but not quite fast enough to crack the all-time world Masters rankings. The top ten 40-44 male masters swimmers in the event are listed below.
| [40-44]50m Freestyle Men Long Course | ||||
| Rank | Full Name | Country | Time | Year |
| 1 | VOLERY Stephan | SUI | 23.30 | 2001 |
| 2 | JACOBSON Brian | USA | 23.31 | 2014 |
| 3 | FROLANDER Lars | SWE | 23.47 | 2015 |
| 4 | GIALDI Massimiliano | ITA | 23.86 | 2008 |
| 5 | TSUZUKI Isamu | JPN | 24.02 | 2015 |
| 5 | PREDKIN Vladimir | RUS | 24.02 | 2013 |
| 7 | RUNDGREN Tommy | FIN | 24.12 | 2009 |
| 8 | BOATWRIGHT David | USA | 24.14 | 2003 |
| 9 | PACE Todd | USA | 24.23 | 2011 |
| 10 | HOCHSTEIN Erik | USA | 24.24 | 2008 |
It’s also worth noting that just because a swim shows up as the top in the masters rankings doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s the fastest swim in history for that age group. For example, though Dara Torres swam an American record 24.07 in Beijing at the age of 44, the Masters World Record is a 26.44 held by Edith Ottermann of South Africa.
Borges represented Brazil in the 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004 Summer Olympics. In 1992, he edged ahead of Matt Biondi for the silver in the 100m free. In 1996 he became the first Brazilian to win three Olympic medals with a silver in the 200 free, bronze in the 100m free, both South American records. Then in 2000, he won Olympic bronze as a member of the 4×100 free relay team. He has won the second-most Olympic medals of any Brazilian athlete.
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Not bad. LOL.
2016 U.S. Masters Swimming Summer Nationals:
Men 45-49 50 Meter Freestyle Finals
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USMS Record (N): 24.29 8/10/2006 Smith, Paul L
Pl Name Age Club Seed Time Final Time Points
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1 Baleka, Siphiwe K 45 MOVY 25.29 24.63 11.00
So in other words Borges is slower than Dara Torres at age 44! (In fact Torres would be the 7th fastest man in the history of masters swimming…incredible)
Volery’s 23.30 in 2001 is remarkable.
I have to know more about this Swiss sprinter.
2x European medallist in the 80s – Maybe some of the older forum user from Europe will remember him…
Third in the 50 at Euros in 1985 and 1987, 5th in Seoul at the 1988 Olympics in the 50 with a 22.84.
Wow – so 13 years later, in his 40s, he goes less than 0.5 off his Olympic swim!
This is impressive until Anthony Ervin goes 21.8 in 8 years.
Ervin can beat all those records if he wants to ….
Gustavo Ownage <3.
Flashbacks to Summer of 1996 when the preteen nerd me still remembers how he and Scherer grabbed the only swimming medals for S. America.
Impressive, if you consider he wasn’t a 50 free-styler(his PB is 22.82).