The Queensland State Championships in Australia have cooled off into mostly age group competition, but at the same time the Brazilian Senior Open and Senior Championships began yesterday in Rio as an official Olympic Qualifying meet for the Brazilians.
The biggest eyes are all focused on Cesar Cielo, and in the midst of some very heavy training (both in the water and in the weight room), he posted a 48.42 to win the 100 free. Compare that to James Magnussen’s 48.63 earlier this week in the same very heavy training, and it becomes clear that the Missile will by no means have a runaway in London (though, Cielo is notoriously fast in-season). This time shows perhaps finally some focus by the Brazilian, as the Brazilian Federation was able to bring in Omega track start blocks, which clears up a huge distraction from the last few National Championship meets.
The runner-up in that race, Nicolas Oliveira took 2nd in 48.71, and Auburn sprinter Marcelo Chierighini was 3rd in 49.22.
For Oliveira, that bumps him .01 seconds ahead of Bruno Fratus for the second spot in this event individually in London. Fratus didn’t swim in this race. For those watching collegiate swimming, Louisville’s Joao de Lucca took 4th place in 49.59, which is another great time for him. This might be an indicator that he wasn’t, in fact, rested in Tennessee when he posted top-8 collegiate times, and instead was saving his mid-season rest for this meet.
Several meet records were broken in the opening two sessions of this meet (the “senior” part is swum in the evenings, with the “open” races, for Olympic hopefuls, beings swum in the mornings). In the open portion of this meet, competed on Thursday night, Henrique Barbosa smashed his own Meet Record with a 2:09.82 to take top honors in the 200 breaststroke. That time moves him to the top of a deep Brazilian breaststroke pack, and 7th in the World in 2011. That should just about secure a spot for him at the Olympics, because it’s unlikely that Tales Cerdeira (absent from this meet) can get his time that low next year, though Thiago Pereira might.
Barbosa had been training in Spain, but after saying that he got “lonely” in Europe, he returned home and has been working with Cielo’s PRO 16 group. So far, that seems to be paying off in his results. He was slower in the next morning’s race.
In the 200 IM, Thiago Pereira, another local star who has recently returned home to train with PRO16, finished 2nd in the elite morning version of the 200 IM with a time of 2:00.19. Time will tell how he’s fairing in Brazil, as there can be a pretty big transition coming out of a Dave Salo, lower-yardage program. That time, in fact, wouldn’t qualify him for London by the Brazilian standards (he’ll surely get the qualifying standard at a later meet).
The winner of that 200 IM was Henrique Rodrigues in 1:59.79, which is an Olympic qualifying mark and should lock up his spot for London. The only other swimmer who may jump up and challenge that spot would be former Michigan Wolverine Andre Schultz, who was 3rd in this race in 2:00.63, which is by far the fastest he’s been in the last two years.
Fabiola Molina, who is awaiting a decision on Wednesday’s CAS hearing regarding her 4-month doping suspension this summer, was undeterred in winning the 50 back in 28.25, which was just .05 off of a Meet Record.
Henrique Barbosa was training in Spain at altitude.Its normal have an incredible effect in some swimmers at sea level.
the weather today is overcast and muggy, probably we will not see great times in 100 breast…(I was dreaming with two 59 high…)
Henrique Barbosa seems to be swimming fast.
Wasn’t he the only one he got banned among the four?
aswimfan – nope, that was Waked.
Coffee would be ok for Cielo, as long as he stays away from the caffeine pills ;-).
I’m surprised Cielo is too tired to swim a 50 free.
I hope he drinks his coffee so he won’t get too tired.
Cielo is crazy fast.Its the first competition of his Olympic Cicle.He is only with 6 weeks of training.
He is normally fast in season, but not that fast doing weights.the scary part:He went out in 23.64 and came home with 24.78!Even when i predicted a 47.4-47.6(before all that doping problem), i never put a 24something come home as a possibility for him.
training 3-5 times Auburn program is beginning to paid for.Remember: Cielo top time in 2010 was 48.48 at PanPacs!
Braden, cielo made 21.97 in 50 free Senior champs, but he is dead tired and will scratch Open final tomorrow.
Cielo is always very fast in season.
Food for thought: in the same meet last year, Magnussen swam 49mid.
Thiago Pereira already has a qualifying time of 2m10s79 in the 200 breast. TP also has a QT in the 200 back 1m58s07; and the 200 medley 1m57s35, and 400 medley 4m12s52 all from the Maria Lenk Trophy 2011.