Two-time Olympian Felipe Lima has pulled out of the Brazil Trophy, which runs from April 4th to 9th. The meet serves as Brazil’s qualification meet for Worlds, which means that Lima won’t swim in Budapest later this year.
Lima is 36 and has won six World Championship medals across short course and long course, highlighted by his silver medal in the long course 50m breaststroke in 2019. At the Tokyo Olympics, he finished 12th in the 100m breast and set a personal best of 59.17 during the heats.
His wife, Flávia Dagnino, is pregnant with the couple’s first child and is due soon. Lima also pulled out of SC Worlds in Abu Dhabi last December, citing personal reasons.
Additionally, Lima contacted the management of his club, Esporte Clube Pinheiros, and requested that his salary payments be put on hold for the first half of the season. He sustains his link with the club, and expects that he will return to competition for the back half of the season. For Brazilian swimmers, maintaining a contract with a club and contributing to team scoring at meets is more important than it is for swimmers in the US.
Lima last competed for Energy Standard this past ISL season, where he helped them to their second ISL Championship in three seasons. On April 5th, the second day of the Brazil Trophy, he will turn 37 years old.
At his age, priorities change and with the baby due soon, he’ll want to stay home and be with his family. It’s understandable.
There is no Molly Renshaw on the British swimming championships programme also, any news on why?
Brazilian sprinters get faster as they get older