Brazilian sprint freestyler Bruno Fratus will be joining the Auburn University Post-Grad group, AU Aquatics, under head coach, Brett Hawke. The 24 year-old is recovering from a shoulder surgery in May to repair ligament damage in the gleno humeral capsule on his right shoulder after dislocating earlier this year while training in Italy.
Fratus has been battling the injury for the last two years and had to go through some extensive measures just to be able to compete at the Maria Lenk competition earlier this year where he finished third in the 50 freestyle posting a 21.92.
Fratus has been a major player in the 50 freestyle internationally since the Pan Pac Championships in 2010, where he finished 4th with his time of 21.93. He finished 5th at the 2011 World Championships and placed 4th in the 2012 Olympics, only .02 behind bronze medalist and Brazilian, Cesar Cielo. His career best time was in 2012 at the Olympic Games at 21.61.
Fratus will be joining AU Aquatics in January to train throughout the next season. With Fratus and Marcelo Chierighini, along with the rest of the Auburn post-grad gout, pushing each other all season, we may be seeing incredible times from both of them. Chierighini is the favorite sprint freestlyer leading into the 2013-2014 NCAA season. Some have predicted Chierighini may top the incredible year that we saw from Vlad Morozov last year.
War Eagle!!