To see all of our 2021 Swammy Awards, click here.
2021 South American Female Swimmer of the Year: Viviane Jungblut (BRA)
Viviane Jungblut broke a trio of National Records and was the highest-finishing Brazilian woman at the Tokyo Olympic Games, earning her our 2021 Swammy for South American Female Swimmer of the Year.
After testing positive for COVID-19 on the eve of the Brazilian Olympic Trials in April, Jungblut and a few other of the country’s other top athletes swam a two-day time trial meet in June to take a run at qualifying for the Olympic team.
At the original Olympic Trials in April, Jungblut had seen her national record in the women’s 1500 free, 16:22.48, set in 2017, broken by Beatriz Dizotti in a time of 16:22.07.
With a spot on the Olympic team on the line, Jungblut annihilated that mark by over eight seconds in 16:14.00, punching her ticket to her first Olympics.
Prior to the Games, she added a new national record in the short course pool, clocking 15:55.07 in the 1500 free at the Rio de Janeiro SCM State Championship meet to crush her previous mark of 16:03.29, set in 2018.
In Tokyo, Jungblut placed 20th in the women’s 1500 free (16:21.29), the top individual showing from a Brazilian woman (the only other South American to finish higher came in the women’s 400 IM, which only had 17 entrants), and added a 24th-place finish in the 800 free (8:38.88).
The 25-year-old then set a new Brazilian Record in the LCM 800 free in early December, clocking 8:29.30, and finished out the year by placing 11th at the Short Course World Championships in the 800 free in 8:24.78.
Honorable Mention
- Jhennifer Conceicao (BRA) – The 24-year-old Conceicao broke the South American Record in the women’s 50 breaststroke (LCM) at the Sette Colli Trophy in June, clocking 30.40, and added a new Brazilian Record in the 100 breast at 1:07.13. Conceicao then had the top finish among Brazilian women at the Short Course World Championships, taking ninth in the 50 breast (30.03), narrowly missing ner Continental Record of 29.91 set last year.
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
Cunha literally won Olympic gold in the 10k this year though?
Ana marcela cunha..?
South American Women’s swimming was rather lack luster this year in the pool
Biggest one would be Balducinni who her 100 time from South American would have won Jr European.. and many old records broken by her (Such as Joanna Maranhao time from Athens where she placed 4th)
I Expected a lot from Pignatiello after her stellar start on 2017 (Double Jr World Champion on 800 and 1500 and Silver on 400) but she did not improve after that
I would include Stephanie Balducinni instead of Jhenifer.