The Brazilian Swimming Federation (CBDA) has confirmed that all finalists from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will automatically qualify to represent the country at the 2022 World Championships.
The Championships are set to occur in Fukuoka, Japan from May 13, 2022 until May 29, 2022 after having been delayed a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
There were 5 Brazilian swimmers who made finals in Tokyo, including Fernando Scheffer, Bruno Fratus, Leonardo de Deus, and Guilherme Costa in the pool and Ana Marcela Cunha in the open water events. As a team, Brazil won three medals in Tokyo, one gold and two bronze. This was an improvement upon their performance in 2016, where the Brazilian swimmers combined for only one medal, a bronze won by Poliana Okimoto in the women’s 10k open water event.
Cunha was the gold medalist in the women’s 10k event in Tokyo, earning Brazil’s only individual gold of the aquatics competition. Fratus and Scheffer each won a bronze medal as well, with Fratus coming in 3rd in the 50 free and Scheffer finishing 3rd in the 200 freestyle.
Brazilian Top-10 Finishes in Tokyo
- Men’s 50 freestyle – Bruno Fratus (3rd)
- Men’s 200 Freestyle – Fernando Scheffer (3rd)
- Men’s 800 Freestyle – Guilherme Costa (8th)
- Men’s 200 Butterfly – Leonardo de Deus (6th)
- Men’s 400 Freestyle Relay (8th)
- Men’s 800 Freestyle Relay (8th)
- Women’s 10km Open Water – Ana Marcela Cunha (1st)
Notably, all 4 pre-qualified pool swimmers are male, with Cunha being the only female in the group.
In addition, the men’s 4×100 freestyle relay and the men’s 4×200 freestyle relay are also qualified, with swimmers to be appointed to the relays at a later date.
The CBDA has not yet clarified which races the five qualifiers will be eligible to race at the Championships.
At the 2019 World Aquatics Championships, Brazil won a total of 7 medals, including 2 gold, 3 silver, and 2 bronze. Cunha was responsible for both gold medals, winning both the women’s 5k and 25k races. 4 of the remaining medals came in the non-Olympic 50 events, which will be contested at the 2022 World Championships.
According to the CBDA, all remaining swimmers will participate in the selection meet in March 2022 to determine the rest of the team.
As an American, my favorite moment of the games was Fratus losing his mind over finishing 3rd. That’s what the Olympics is about, not winning, but overcoming adversity and being immensely proud of your result. Probably my favorite non US swimmer. Always gracious, always smiling, always genuinely happy for the people he beats and that beat him
Class act