Texas Freshman Rafael Fente Damers Dislocated His Shoulder In October

Last week, Texas freshman Rafael Fente Damers spoke with French media, and he revealed that he dislocated his right shoulder during the Texas vs Tennessee dual meet in October.

Fente Damers, who competes internationally for France, is a sprint freestyler, which the Longhorns were in desperate need of this season. He swam his first meet with Texas at the beginning of October against Alabama, where he raced the 50 free (19.37) and 100 free (42.40) and swam on two relays, anchoring the medley in 18.90.

About two weeks later, he raced at the Texas vs Tennessee meet. There, he swam the individual 100 free (42.41) along with the 200 freestyle relay, leading off in 19.26, and the 400 medley relay, anchoring in 42.30.

Fente Damers told the media he dislocated his right shoulder during a celebration following the 400 medley relay finish. This is not his first time dislocating his shoulder during a celebration. In 2024, he finished 2nd at the French Championships, qualifying for the Olympic team with a massive personal best 48.14.

During his celebration, he hit the water with his left arm, and reportedly dislocating that shoulder. The following month, he raced at the Olympic Games, swimming 48.82 to finish 23rd overall.

Following his dislocation in October, he said he was out of the water for two months, returning to competition with Texas at the end of January at the Eddie Reese Showdown. There, he swam the 50 free (19.78), 100 free (42.70), and three relays, anchoring the 200 medley in 18.88.

At the SEC Championships in February, he set new personal best times in the 50 free (19.20) and 100 free (41.93), and 200 free (1:31.73). The following month at the NCAA Championships, he set two more personal bests in the 50 free (19.01) and 200 free (1:31.62). He also participated on three NCAA relays, swimming 18.63 on the 200 free relay, 41.24 on the 400 free relay, and 1:32.72 on the winning 800 freestyle relay.

Fente Damers also spoke about what it’s like to train at Texas, saying “We work with a different mentality. We can’t be individualistic; we swim for the team. It gives you a lot more energy to handle the training volume and swim fast in competition. Before, I trained alone, almost all the time, just with my coach. I was afraid of being in pain. Now, I know it’s going to hurt, but I’m no longer afraid to give it my all.”

He also spoke about the other swimmers in the group as well, joking, “In Bob’s [Bowman] group, you’re not really considered good if you don’t have two world records.”

Bowman famously coaches French world record holder Leon Marchand in that men’s group along with Hungarian world record holder Hubert Kos.

The Texas Longhorn men just picked up their 2nd straight national title at the 2026 NCAA Championships in March. Fente Damers, who turned 19 last October, has three more years with the program. He said “Every time I get close to guys faster than me, it’s incredibly motivating, and it proves to me that I haven’t reached my limits. Now, I’m eager to see how it translates into competition.”

Last weekend, he raced at the ST TXLA Long Course Kick Off meet, finishing 1st in the 50 free (22.51) and 3rd in the 200 free (1:49.39). His 50 free time was the 4th fastest swim of his career and his 200 free was 5th.

At this summer’s European Championships, Fente Damers will likely be a major relay player for the French team. This is particularly true on their 400 medley relay which is a serious medal threat with the team of Yohann Ndouye-Brouard, Marchand, and Maxime Grousset.