Brazilian swimmer Kayky Mota has withdrawn from this week’s Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, citing “personal reasons.”.
“Not something I expected but unexpected happens in our life,” Mota said in Portuguese in an Instagram post.
“Some situations we can’t have much control over, but we have to stay focused on what’s within our reach,” he also said in the post.
Brazilian swimming site Best Swimming reports that he was prevented from leaving the United States because of immigration issues.
Mota, 24, trains in the United States at the University of Tennessee as a post-graduate.
Mota won the 100 fly at the 2021 Junior Pan American Games and was the 2023 Brazil Trophy champion in the same event in 51.45.
At the World Championships, he finished 39th in the 50 fly (23.85), 10th in semi-finals of the 100 fly (51.43), and 16th in semi-finals of the 200 fly (1:57.94).
His season-best in the 100 fly would have won the last Pan American Games gold medal in the event by half-a-second, and he would have been the favorite to win at this year’s Games as well.
