Brazilian world champion Etiene Medeiros was back in the competition pool after nearly 10 months out of individual racing at the Barcelona leg of the 2022 Mare Nostrum Tour.
Medeiros, who turned 32 on Tuesday, underwent surgery last September to repair her right ACL after competing at the Tokyo Olympics with the injury.
The injury then caused her to miss last month’s Brazil Trophy (though she did swim one relay), the country’s qualifying meet for the World Championships, and she competed for the first time individually since the injury on Wednesday in Barcelona.
Other than that one relay swim, Medeiros had gone 297 days between individual races when she took to the water for the first time in Barcelona.
The two-time Olympian placed 13th in the women’s 50 backstroke (28.72) on Wednesday, and then was 24th in the 50 free (26.08) on Thursday. In her lone Olympic swim in Tokyo, she clocked 25.45 in the 50 free to finish 29th.
Medeiros is also entered to race at the next stop in Canet, and has said her goal is to participate in Brazil’s José Finkel Trophy in September and ultimately qualify for the 2022 Short Course World Championships in Melbourne in December.
Medeiros was the 2017 world champion in the women’s 50 backstroke (LCM), and also won silver in the event in 2015 and 2019.
In the short course pool, she owns three gold medals from the SC World Championships, including a pair of individual titles in the 50 back in 2014 and 2016.
I want a 300 day vacation to Barcelona…
Dang, beat me to it