This Sunday, the 19th, Brazil won its second medal at the World Aquatics Championships held in Budapest, Hungary. After Guilherme Costa won the bronze medal in the 400m freestyle, this time the show went to Nicolas Santos, 42, who took the silver in the 50m butterfly.
In her 17th participation at the World Championships, the Brazilian swimmer clocked 22s78, behind only Celeb Dressel of the United States, who celebrated the gold medal with 22s57. Just to give you an idea, Nicolas Santos surpassed many favorite names and was not a champion because he had a rival who is considered the best swimmer today.
“Every World Cup is tough, but I knew that if I enter this final, I’ll have a chance. I got silver for Brazil, I’m satisfied and tired. Aging, but I am very happy”, the athlete told SportTV, aware that long stays in the pool are the result of a lot of work on a daily basis.
It was the fourth time Nichols was on the podium in the history of the World Championships: he was silver in Kazan-2015, he repeated the medal color in Budapest-2017 and was bronze in Gwangju-2019, always in the 50m butterfly. She has also shone at the Short Course (25m) World Championships with four podiums, a silver in 2014 and three golds in 2012, 2018 and 2021.
Successful trajectory in the pool is the result of training and also the experience of handling difficulties within the competition. “Maturity weighs. Coming to this position, along with the noise, there are people who panic. I don’t feel anything, I’m calm, I can give a shield, it helps a lot Sometimes anxiety gets in the way, that’s normal, but I’m already safe. We must always remember that we are in control of our heads.”
He finished 13th in the qualifiers and entered 16 candidates to make it to the finals. Then, he was left with only last place to decide, with the worst time among classifieds. But he improved his performance and grabbed the podium. “I am very happy, fourth consecutive medal in the worlds since 2015, participating and coming on the podium. I adjusted for the final and it worked out very well. I swam as much as I could to get on the podium Enough done”, he remarked.
Sunday’s results at the World Aquatics Championships
50m butterfly
Nicolas Santos – 22s78 – Silver
1500m Freestyle
Beatriz Dizzotti – 16m08s35
Vivian Jungblut – 16m09s27
100 meter backstroke
Guilherme Bassetto – 54s26 – 17th
100m breaststroke
Jennifer Conceicao – 1m07s40 – 17th
200m Freestyle
Fernando Schaefer – 1m46s11 – 9th
Breno Korea – 1m49s79 – 22nd
artistic swimming
Brazil is in the final of the technical team. The team formed by Vittoria Casale, Julia Catharino, Rafaela García, Luiza Lopes, Laura Micuchi, Selina Rangel, Gabriela Regli and Anna Giulia Veloso finished 12th in the qualifiers and will play in the final.
