Vini Lanza Misses 200 Fly Final at Brazilian Olympic Trials Day 3 Prelims

2021 BRAZILIAN OLYMPIC TRIALS

• Monday, April 19th – Saturday, April 24th
• Prelims at 9:30 am local; Finals at 6:30 pm local
• Long Course Meters (50 meters), prelims/finals
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The third day of the Brazilian Olympic Trials began this morning with prelims of the women’s 200 free, women’s 200 IM and men’s 200 fly.

The men’s 200 fly will feature a stacked field tonight, but it was Kaue Carvalho with the fastest prelims swim at 1:59.30. He touched just ahead of Matheus Gonche (1:59.43 lifetime best) and Leonardo De Deus (1:59.77), while Luiz Altamir Melo snagged fourth in 2:00.20.

De Deus and Melo both have lifetime bests under the 1:56.48 qualifying cut, De Deus at 1:54.89 and Melo at 1:55.83, both from 2018. They were also Brazil’s representatives at the 2019 World Champs, both making semifinals in this event while De Deus went on to place seventh in teh final. Carvalho, meanwhile, has a lifetime best of 1:56.76 from 2018.

Past them, 2003-born Gustavo Saldo was fifth in prelims at 2:00.85, ahead of NCAA standouts Kayky Mota (2:00.86) and Iago Moussalem (2:02.93). Saldo clocked a lifetime best 1:58.76 in March at the South American Championships, while Indiana grad Moussalem has been as fast as 1:57.37 from 2019. Tennessee star Mota’s time this morning was a new best.

Notably off was Indiana star Vini Lanza. He finished ninth in 2:04.17, out in 56.63 but back in a rough 1:07.54. Lanza was 32.20 on the third 50 but had a brutal final 50 at 35.34. Lanza’s lifetime best is 1:57.04, but for now he’s out of the final.

He’ll turn his focus to the 100 fly, the event he swam at 2019 Worlds, on Saturday.

In the women’s 200 free, Larissa Oliveira was the only finisher under two minutes, hitting a 1:59.76. Not far behind was Nathalia Almeida, just on the other end of the two-minute barrier with a 2:00.36, with Alina Rodrigues third in 2:01.36.

The FINA ‘A’ cut, needed to make the Brazilian Olympic team, is the same as the Brazilian record: 1:57.28, which Manuella Lyrio did in 2016. Oliveira’s been 1:57.37, far and away the second-best performer in national history, but she hasn’t matched that time since 2016. In fourth this morning was Rafaela Raurich at 2:01.58; Raurich went 1:59.68 in 2017 as a 17-year-old but hasn’t progressed further since then.

The women’s 200 IM prelim results were unavailable on the main CBDA results page, but a separate page shows that Fernanda Celidonio led the way at 2:19.83.