Reported by Karl Ortegon.
Olympian Breeja Larson, one of the top breaststrokers in American history, is expected to race at the 2018 Argentine National Championships.
According to Argentine news site La Voz, Universitario coach Federico Rossi reached out to Larson asking if she’d compete on his team. Larson accepted the offer, and will race at the meet at the end of the month, from April 25-28.
“My boyfriend is Argentine and I never had the chance to travel to the country. When the opportunity came to be able to get to know Buenos Aires and be able to compete at the same time, it seemed like a very good opportunity,” said Larson. She is dating ice hockey player Tomás Abrate, an Argentina native who played hockey collegiately for Notre Dame.
La Voz writes that it will be the first time in history that an Olympic gold medalist will compete at these national championships representing an Argentinian club, a pivotal moment for Argentine swimming.
This weekend, Larson competed at the Pro Swim in Mesa, which is also her home town. She placed 2nd in the 100m breast (1:08.28), 2nd in the 50m breast (30.42), and 3rd in the 200m breast (2:27.77). She also spoke to the kids on Mesa Swim Club before the meet started, emphasizing the importance of experiencing all that you can and using swimming for a forum to do so, if possible.