The injury that kept Victor Baganha out of the 2024 NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships will also keep him out of the Brazilian Olympic Trials in May in Rio de Janeiro, he confirmed to SwimSwam on Thursday.
Baganha underwent surgery on a torn meniscus after the Big Ten Championships. According to the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, the recovery time for a meniscus repair is six to nine months.
Baganha’s father is a medical doctor.
Baganha was invited as an individual qualifier in the 100 fly before the injury, where he was the 30th seed in 45.37. He was also a key leg of the Penn State relays, including the team’s runner-up 200 medley relay from the Big Ten Championships.
He was also scheduled to swim the 50 free (19.14 – 31st seed) and 100 free (42.41 – 43rd seed). In his absence, the Penn State men finished 31st at the championships with 8 points. Not long after, they announced that they would not renew the contract of head coach Tim Murphy, who had been on a leave of absence from the fall semester.
Baganha finished 2nd at last year’s Brazilian Championships in the 100 fly in 52.26, earning the right to represent Brazil at the Pan American Games. There, he polaced 6th in 53.00.
That 52.26 is Baganha’s best time in long course and is still short of the Olympic “A” (51.67) or “B” (51.93) standards.
Brazil’s top butterflier at present is Kayky Mota, who won last year’s National Championships in 51.95. Vini Lanza was 3rd behind Baganha in 52.42.
Baganha is a rising senior at Penn State and has one season of collegiate eligibility remaining.
Baganha declined to comment how the injury happened.
