2017 FINA WORLD SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS – Day 1, South American Recap
- Sunday, July 23rd – Sunday, July 30th
- Budapest, Hungary
- LCM (50m)
- Full Competition Schedule
- Meet Info
- Psych Sheets
- Omega Results
- Pick ’em Contest
- Event-by-Event Previews
Brazil has been waiting for the next generation to come – for a young group of swimmers who have been breaking all of Cielo’s age group records, to come along and maybe, finally, get Brazil back over the medal hump in the 400 free relay.
But instead, the ‘old guys’ of Brazilian swimming had one more run in them, and pushed the Americans harder than anybody expected for a silver medal on Sunday in the 400 free relay. Brazil‘s final time of 3:10.34 was a new National and South American Record, and put them just .28 seconds behind the winning American side.
In spite of having the World Record holder Cesar Cielo in their stable, Brazil hasn’t medaled in the 400 free relay at the World Championships since 1994 and the Olympic Games since 2000.
For the Brazilian veterans, like Cesar Cielo (30) and Bruno Fratus (28), it looked like their best chance had passed them by. Brazil had the chance to make their biggest statement in front of the home crowd in Rio. But Cielo missed the team, and without him Brazil finished just 5th in the Olympic final.
Fratus’ club even dropped after the Olympics him for being ‘too old.’
But this year, those two have each rededicate themselves to the 100 free, and that showed in the final. Cielo kept pace with American Blake Pieroni, who is 10 years younger than him. Fratus, who for most of his career has been a pure 50 sprinter, out-split American Nathan Adrian on the anchor, though not by enough.
Marcelo Chierighini, who is not as old as Cielo and Fratus, is still a veteran at 26 years old, and had the swim of his life. His 46.85 was the fastest split of the entire field, and as far as we can tell, the third-fastest split ever in a textile jammer.
Even without their 2016 anchor Joao de Lucca, who skipped Brazil’s trials meet, Brazil found the right youth join their relay. 21-year old Gabriel Santos split 48.30 on Brazil‘s leadoff leg – the 3rd-best opening split in the final. He got worked by the American leadoff Caeleb Dressel, who led off in an American Record of 47.26, but he played his part by giving his relay a chance.
The Brazilians nailed their relay exchanges (their aggregate .55 seconds were the second-fastest in the field that didn’t get DQ’ed behind Japan’s .51), and they put the veterans Cielo and Fratus at the end. Those two know how to race, and they knew how to race the Americans.
While the finish wasn’t gold, Brazil did as well in that relay as they could have hoped given the uncertainty of how they’d perform. Hanging on for 3 more years until Tokyo will be a tall order, but Brazil‘s ‘old guys’ at least fulfilled one portion of their potential on Sunday.
Fastest Known 400 Free Relay Splits:
- 46.06 – Jason Lezak, USA, 2008 Olympics
- 46.46 – Alain Bernard, France, 2009 World Championships
- 46.63 – Fred Bousquet, France, 2008 Olympics (prelims)
- 46.63 – Fred Bousquet, France, 2008 Olympics
- 46.73 – Alain Bernard, France, 2008 Olympics
- 46.74 – Yannick Agnel, France, 2012 Olympics
- 46.79 – Nathan Adrian, USA, 2009 World Championships
- 46.79 – Pieter van den Hoogenband, Netherlands, 2004 Olympics
- 46.84 – Filippo Magnini, Italy, 2008 Olympics (prelims)
- 46.85 – Marcelo Chierighini, Brazil, 2017 World Championships
- 46.90 – Fabien Gilot, France, 2013 World Championships
- 46.95 – Vlad Morozov, Russia, 2015 World Championships
- 46.97 – Nathan Adrian, USA, 2016 Olympics
South American-Only Medals Table
Brazil was the only South American country to medal on day 1 of pool swimming at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Brazil | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
South American Records
- South American Record – 200 IM – Joanna Maranhao, 2:11.24
- South American Record – 400 free relay – Brazil, 3:10.34
- Brazilian National Record – 200 IM – Joanna Maranhao, 2:11.24
- Brazilian National Record – 400 free relay – Brazil, 3:10.34
- Peruvian National Record – McKenna De Bever, 2:16.52
- Bolivian National Record – Jose Quintanilla, 25.35
tremendous swim
Anyone else think they were aided by drafting off the US?
Maybe Chieriguini in the first half(21.91), but Cielo time was meh(He has much faster splits around 47 mid-high swimming for club teams in Brazil Champs) and Santos opening time was 0.19 off his best from Maria Lenk.Fratus time was great, but he is having the season of his life with 48.50 PB in 100free and six sub 22 untapered in 50(usually he don’t have more than one sub 22 out of peak).
That’s not illegal… So why bother?? All part of the race.
Pieter Van Den Hoogenband 46.79 …. Years?
Cielo 46’22 in Rome 2009… medley relay
I forgot how great Bousquet was on the Lezak’d 2008 French relay. Probably best prelims-final combo times in history.
May I ask why you separated the medley and free relay splits? Apart from them being different relays, I can’t think of a reason why a medley split is different than a free relay split
I feel that it is easier to guess the finish of the fly (longer stroke) than the free. It is a totally different relay exchange.
Braden,
Did it ever happened that a coach had swimmers in all three podium finishers in a relay at worlds (or olympics)? I think Brad Hawke just did that….. Zach Apple, Bruno Fratus, Marcelo Chiereghine, Peter Holoda…. Not to count that Cielo was with him for years.
Brett Hawke, my bad for misspelling his name.
The table is almost correct. It says Fastest Known 400 Free Relay Splits, I guess it is not including 400 Medley Relays. The only one missing is Hoogenband 46″79 from Athens 2004