Sam Short Fires Off 3:47.8 400 Free In Prelims To Open Brazilian Championships

2025 Brazilian Swimming Championships

• April 21-26, 2025
• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• LCM (50 meters
• Entries & Live Results

Australian distance phenom Sam Short made his presence known during the opening session of the 2025 Brazilian Swimming Championships in Rio de Janeiro.

Short, the 21-year-old who won the 2023 world title in the 400 free before injuries hampered his Paris Olympic campaign, paced the prelims of the men’s 400 free on Monday in a time of 3:47.84, notably using some blistering front-half speed.

Short was out in 52.78 at the 100, and turned sub-1:50 at the halfway mark, 1:49.78, before holding ascending 29s coming home (29.15/29.42/29.68/29.81) to produce the only sub-3:49 time of the morning.

Brazilian Eduardo Oliveira de Moraes was the only other swimmer to break 3:50 in the prelims, as he clocked 3:49.41, with his lifetime best sitting at 3:46.29 from the 2024 Sette Colli Trophy.

Guilherme Costa, the South American Record holder in the event, qualified 3rd out of the heats in 3:50.27. Costa set a new Continental Record of 3:42.76 at the Paris Olympics, placing 5th.

Short, who was 4th in the Olympic final in 3:42.64, owns a PB of 3:40.68, set en route to winning the 2023 world title in Fukuoka.

He set a season-best of 3:43.84 just over two weeks ago at the Pro Swim Series event in Sacramento, signaling he’s rounding into form ahead of the Australian Swimming Trials in June.

Short has notably opted to race in North America early this season rather than contesting the Australian Open Championships which also recently kicked off.

As a foreign swimmer at a domestic selection meet, Short is listed to be swimming out of Lane 0 in the ‘A’ final.

OTHER PRELIM RESULTS

• Nineteen-year-old Beatriz Bezerra paced the prelims of the women’s 100 fly in a time of 59.94, just shy of her 59.41 personal best set last June. Behind her, the rest of the ‘A’ finalists are all in the 1:00 range, led by Stephanie Balduccini, who is coming off her sophomore year at Michigan, who posted a time of 1:00.01. Gabi Albiero, who is also fresh off the NCAA season with Louisville, qualified 3rd in 1:00.43.
• Kayky Mota was the top qualifier in the men’s 100 fly by a wide margin, producing a time of 51.81 to come within striking distance of his PB of 51.43 set in 2023. The swim this morning is also faster than he was at the Paris Olympics (52.11). Notably making the ‘A’ final were Gui Caribe (52.52) and Nicolas Albiero (53.32) in 3rd and 6th, respectively.
• In the women’s 400 free, South American Record holder Maria Fernanda Costa posted the top time in 4:12.41, with Gabrielle Roncatto sitting 2nd in 4:13.03. Costa set the South American and Brazilian Record of 4:02.86 at the 2024 World Championships.
• Nichelly Lysy, who swam for Virginia Tech this past season in the NCAA, matched Gabrielle Silva for the fastest time in the heats of the women’s 100 breast, with the two swimmers posting identical times of 1:09.71. Lysy owns a best of 1:08.42, while Silva has been as fast as 1:08.87, both set in 2023. Another NCAA swimmer, Louisville’s Fernanda Gomes Celidonio, qualified 3rd in 1:09.91, shattering her previous best of 1:12.67.
• Joao Vieira Garcia led a tightly-contested preliminary of the men’s 100 breast, clocking 1:01.16 with seven total men going under 1:02. Vieira Garcia owns a best time of 1:00.97, set at the 2023 Jose Finkel Trophy. Caio Pumputis sits in 2nd in 1:01.19, owning a personal best of 1:00.11 from 2021.