Brazilian Bruno Fratus and Japan’s Shinri Shioura are the two latest names added to an increasingly-studded lineup at the 2018 Euro Meet. The Luxembourg-hosted event will be held from January 26th-28th. Neither swimmer has ever competed in the meet before, though Shioura has been in Europe since December, which includes competing at the Lausanne Swim Cup in Switzerland last month.
Fratus, after being dropped by his Brazilian club after the Olympics for being “too old,” headed to the United States at Auburn. The 28-year old took silver at the 2017 World Championships in the 50 free and was on Brazil’s silver-medal winning 400 free relay. Those finishes were each his best performance at a global championship meet to date (following a bronze in the 50 free at Worlds in 2015). Late in 2017, he decided to switch training paths again, and is now training himself with the support of his wife Michelle Lenhardt at the Coral Springs Swim Club.
The Japanese sprinter Shioura, along with China’s Ning Zetao, has revolutionized the discipline in Asia – a continent not historically known for its sprinters. He’s the current Asian Record holder in the 50 free in long course meters, having swum a 21.88 in 2014.
The two are both sprint specialists and will join a loaded field of sprinters that includes:
- Olympic 5th-place finisher in the 50 Andrii Govorov from Ukraine
- 2017 50 fly World Champion and 50 free Worlds bronze medalist Ben Proud of Great Britain
- 2016 World Short Course Champion Jesse Puts of the Netherlands
- Hungarian 100 and 200 freestyle Record holder Dominik Kozma
- 2016 Olympic silver medalist in the 800 free and 400 medley relays Duncan Scott of Great Britain
Poor Bruno being classified as to old at 28. I hope he smashes it and proves them wrong.