Fratus Clocks 100th 21-Point LCM 50 Free of His Career (Day 6 S. America Recap)

2022 FINA WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

One of the moments we’ve been most highly anticipating at these World Championships came earlier than expected. Exactly one week before his 33rd birthday, Brazilian superstar veteran Bruno Fratus competed in a swim-off of the men’s 50 free tonight following the semifinals of the event, posting a 21.62.

Unfortunately, despite the quick time, which would have been 3rd in semifinal, Fratus touched 0.03 seconds behind France’s Maxime Grousset, and therefore, will not be competing in tomorrow’s final. The swim was, however, Fratus’ 100th sub-22 seconds LCM 50 free of his career, marking the most of such swims by any swimmer in history – and it’s not even close.

Although Fratus just won his first Olympic medal last summer in Tokyo, he’s been as good a model of consistency as we’ve ever seen in this sport.  He’s swum at least one 21-point LCM 50 free every year since 2009, which is easily the longest of any such streak. Fratus is the 2x defending World Champs Silver medalist in the 50 free, having taken 2nd in both 2017 and 2019. He earned Bronze in the event at the 2015 World Champs on Kazan.

The table below shows all 100 of Fratus’ 21-point 50 freestyles in his career, listed in chronological order starting with his first sub-22 at the 2009 Brazilian Nationals, all the way up through his 21. in the swim-off at tonight’s finals session of the World Championships. A huge thanks to SwimSwam/Swimming Stats’ Daniel Takata and coach Alex Pussieldi for helping to compile and verify this data.

Year Time Date Event City Info
2009 21.91 5/5/2009 BRA Nationals Rio de Janeiro Final
2009 21.87 9/2/2009 BRA Nationals Palhoca Prelim
2009 21.80 9/2/2009 BRA Nationals Palhoca Final
2009 21.81 12/17/2009 BRA Nationals Sao Paulo Final
2010 21.93 8/21/2010 Pan Pacific Championships Victoria Final
2011 21.76 7/29/2011 World Championships Shanghai Semifinal
2011 21.96 7/30/2011 World Championships Shanghai Final
2012 21.99 4/14/2012 Swim Cup Eindhoven Prelim
2012 21.87 4/15/2012 Swim Cup Eindhoven Final
2012 21.70 4/24/2012 BRA Nationals Rio de Janeiro Prelim
2012 21.76 4/24/2012 BRA Nationals Rio de Janeiro Final
2012 21.82 8/2/2012 Olympic Games London Prelim
2012 21.63 8/2/2012 Olympic Games London Semifinal
2012 21.61 8/3/2012 Olympic Games London Final
2013 21.92 2/16/2013 FRA Meet Nancy Final
2013 21.98 4/22/2013 BRA Nationals Rio de Janeiro Prelim
2013 21.92 4/22/2013 BRA Nationals Rio de Janeiro Final
2013 21.80 12/18/2013 BRA Open Porto Alegre Final
2013 21.82 12/18/2013 BRA Open Porto Alegre Final
2014 21.45 4/21/2014 BRA Nationals Sao Paulo Final
2014 21.44 8/24/2014 Pan Pacific Championships Gold Goast Final
2014 21.45 12/16/2014 BRA Open Rio de Janeiro Prelim
2014 21.41 12/16/2014 BRA Open Rio de Janeiro Final
2015 21.91 1/15/2015 USA Grand Prix Austin Final
2015 21.91 4/6/2015 BRA Nationals Rio de Janeiro Prelim
2015 21.74 4/6/2015 BRA Nationals Rio de Janeiro Final
2015 21.91 7/17/2015 Pan American Games Toronto Final
2015 21.60 8/7/2015 World Championships Kazan Semifinal
2015 21.55 8/8/2015 World Championships Kazan Final
2015 21.99 8/17/2015 BRA Nationals Sao Paulo Prelim
2015 21.89 8/17/2015 BRA Nationals Sao Paulo Final
2015 21.66 12/16/2015 BRA Open Palhoca Prelim
2015 21.37 12/16/2015 BRA Open Palhoca Final
2015 21.50 12/16/2015 BRA Open Palhoca Final
2016 21.74 4/15/2016 BRA Nationals Rio de Janeiro Final
2016 21.93 8/11/2016 Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro Prelim
2016 21.71 8/11/2016 Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro Semifinal
2016 21.79 8/12/2016 Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro Final
2017 21.83 5/2/2017 BRA Nationals Rio de Janeiro Prelim
2017 21.70 5/2/2017 BRA Nationals Rio de Janeiro Final
2017 21.77 6/10/2017 Mare Nostrum Monte Carlo Semifinal
2017 21.78 6/10/2017 Mare Nostrum Monte Carlo Final
2017 21.76 6/13/2017 Mare Nostrum Barcelona Final
2017 21.92 6/17/2017 Mare Nostrum Canet Final
2017 21.81 6/23/2017 Trofeo Sette Colli Rome Prelim
2017 21.86 6/23/2017 Trofeo Sette Colli Rome Final
2017 21.73 7/1/2017 French Open Chartres Prelim
2017 21.97 7/1/2017 French Open Chartres Final
2017 21.51 7/28/2017 World Championships Budapest Prelim
2017 21.60 7/28/2017 World Championships Budapest Semifinal
2017 21.27 7/29/2017 World Championships Budapest Final
2018 21.76 4/17/2018 BRA Nationals Rio de Janeiro Prelim
2018 21.35 4/17/2018 BRA Nationals Rio de Janeiro Final
2018 21.74 4/28/2018 TYR Derby Pro Swim Meet Louisville Prelim
2018 21.87 4/28/2018 TYR Derby Pro Swim Meet Louisville Final
2018 21.85 6/9/2018 Mare Nostrum Canet Final
2018 21.76 6/13/2018 Mare Nostrum Barcelona Final
2018 21.89 6/16/2018 Mare Nostrum Monte Carlo Quarters
2018 21.92 6/16/2018 Mare Nostrum Monte Carlo Semifinal
2018 21.64 6/16/2018 Mare Nostrum Monte Carlo Final
2018 21.79 6/29/2018 Trofeo Sette Colli Rome Final
2018 21.77 6/29/2018 Trofeo Sette Colli Rome Final
2018 21.90 7/7/2018 Open de France Chartres Final
2019 21.68 4/16/2019 BRA Nationals Rio de Janeiro Prelim
2019 21.47 4/16/2019 BRA Nationals Rio de Janeiro Final
2019 21.67 5/11/2019 FINA Champions Swim Series Budapest Final
2019 21.81 6/8/2019 Mare Nostrum Monte Carlo Prelim
2019 21.89 6/8/2019 Mare Nostrum Monte Carlo Quarters
2019 21.56 6/8/2019 Mare Nostrum Monte Carlo Semifinal
2019 21.31 6/8/2019 Mare Nostrum Monte Carlo Final
2019 21.64 6/11/2019 Mare Nostrum Canet Final
2019 21.89 6/15/2019 Mare Nostrum Barcelona Final
2019 21.63 6/21/2019 Trofeo Sette Colli Rome Prelim
2019 21.42 6/21/2019 Trofeo Sette Colli Rome Final
2019 21.71 7/26/2019 World Championships Gwangju Prelim
2019 21.53 7/26/2019 World Championships Gwangju Semifinal
2019 21.45 7/27/2019 World Championships Gwangju Final
2019 21.61 8/6/2019 Pan American Games Lima Final
2019 21.59 12/4/2019 US Open Atlanta Prelim
2019 21.72 12/4/2019 US Open Atlanta Final
2020 21.77 1/25/2020 Euro Meet Luxembourg Final
2020 21.97 3/5/2020 USA Sectionals Plantation Prelim
2021 21.73 4/9/2021 TYR Pro Swim Series Mission Viejo Prelim
2021 21.80 4/9/2021 TYR Pro Swim Series Mission Viejo Final
2021 21.98 5/15/2021 Atlanta Classic Atlanta Final
2021 21.91 5/29/2021 Mare Nostrum Monte Carlo Final
2021 21.87 5/30/2021 Mare Nostrum Monte Carlo Semifinal
2021 21.73 6/5/2021 Mare Nostrum Barcelona Final
2021 21.71 6/25/2021 Trofeo Sette Colli Rome Final
2021 21.67 7/30/2021 Olympic Games Tokyo Prelim
2021 21.60 7/31/2021 Olympic Games Tokyo Semifinal
2021 21.57 8/1/2021 Olympic Games Tokyo Final
2022 21.85 5/21/2022 Mare Nostrum Monte Carlo Quarters
2022 21.76 5/22/2022 Mare Nostrum Monte Carlo Semifinal
2022 21.49 5/22/2022 Mare Nostrum Monte Carlo Final
2022 21.78 5/25/2022 Mare Nostrum Barcelona Final
2022 21.99 5/28/2022 Mare Nostrum Canet Final
2022 21.71 6/23/2022 World Championships Budapest Prelim
2022 21.83 6/23/2022 World Championships Budapest Semifinal
2022 21.62 6/23/2022 World Championships Budapest Swim-off

Also on Day 6, Brazil broke the Brazilian and South American Records in finals of the men’s 4×200 free relay. The squad of Fernando Scheffer (1:45.22), Vini Assuncao (1:46.44), Murilo Sartori (1:46.34), and Breno Correia (1:46.39) teamed up for a 7:04.69, finishing 4th, just 0.69 seconds off the podium. Scheffer, the Bronze medalist in the 200 free at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, had the 2nd fastest lead-off split in the field, behind only South Korea’s Hwang Sunwoo.

South American Medal Table Through Day 3

COUNTRY GOLD SILVER BRONZE TOTAL
Brazil 0 1 1 2

South American National Records Through Day 3

  • Guilherme Costa broke his own Brazilian and South American records in the 400 freestyle with a 3:44.52 during prelims to take out his 3:45.85 from 2021. He then lowered that time to a 3:43.31 during finals, winning bronze.
  • Guilherme Costa broke another South American record in the 800 freestyle, hitting a 7:45.48 to lower it from the 7:46.09 he set at Tokyo 2020.

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Taa
2 years ago

congrats at swimming at such a high level for so long.

Thomas
2 years ago

Fratus is a Rockstar! Congrats too all his success

Consistent
2 years ago

where was he in 2014?

Mikael Laakso
Reply to  Consistent
2 years ago

Accoring to wikipedia, he got married in 2014.

Anfrizio
2 years ago

Absolutely nothing to be ashamed about today’s loss. Fratus is a solid legend in the sprinter’s Olympus. Kudos to Grousset and his massive swim and PB!

Go Badgers
2 years ago

Incredibly consistent. He’s a class act and an incredible athlete. Been great to watch over the years!

Curious swimmer
2 years ago

Absolute legend!