Teammates Get Into Altercation After Podium Celebration At Brazilian Championships

2023 ABSOLUTE BRAZILIAN SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, May 30th – Saturday, June 3rd
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• LCM (50m)
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Things got heated during Day 1 finals at the 2023 Brazilian Championships, as Pineheiros teammates Jhennifer Conceicao and Ana Carolina Vieira got into a physical altercation after the podium celebration for the women’s 100 breaststroke.

Vieira slapped Conceicao in the face, according to Brazilian outlet uol, before the two grabbed each other and Vieira began to “rub” Conceicao’s face on a railing.

After Pinheiros had swept the podium in the event, with Conceicao claiming gold, Nichelly Brandao Lysy earning silver and Vieira picking up bronze, a member of the club’s communications team requested they shoot a video together after receiving their medals.

Vieria had already started walking away from the podium when she was asked to come back, which is when the incident transpired.

Brazilian media has said there’s no video of the incident.

Uol reports that the two swimmers have had their disagreements in the past, and train under different coaches despite both being members of Pinheiros.

The women’s 100 breast podium is the second image on the Instagram post (Conceicao in the middle, Vieria on the right):

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Esporte Clube Pinheiros (@ecpinheiros)

The two were quickly separated, and Pinheiros says the situation was resolved internally.

However, the case was reportedly brought to Brazil’s Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD) for water sports, and the Brazilian Confederation for Water Sports (CBDA) gave them both a warning but opted not to suspend from the rest of the competition. According to the organization, a report detailing of the incident has already been sent to the court’s attorney.

Vieira raced on Pinheiros’ 400 free relay shortly thereafter, leading the team off in 55.28 as they ultimately earned the win. She is expected to play a prominent role on the Brazilian women’s 400 free relay at the World Championships, though there is some question as to whether or not she will be eligible to attend after the incident.

Neither swimmer has booked a spot on the World Championship team as of yet, with Conceicao’s winning time of 1:08.10 in the 100 breast well outside of the World Aquatics ‘A’ cut of 1:07.35.