Noting its potential to win a medal in a relay event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Brazil will send six swimmers to compete on the men’s 4 x 100 freestyle relay, per Brazilian outlet Globo Esporte. With six swimmers on the roster for a four-man relay, two athletes will be allowed to rest during prelims and save their energy for the final.
Sending six or more swimmers to compete on a four-person relay is a tactic that has been used by relay powerhouses such as the United States, France, Russia, and Australia for decades. Brazil, which has brought up a multitude of world-class male sprinters, including the World Record holder in the 100 LCM freestyle Cesar Cielo, has never swum a full six swimmers in the 4 x 100 free relay at the Olympics.
At the Rio 2016 Olympics, Brazil was represented by Marcelo Chierighini, Nicolas Oliveira, Gabriel Santos, and Jaoa de Lucca in the finals of the 4 x 100 free relay, where they placed 5th (3:13.21) in front of a home crowd. Of the four, de Lucca was the only swimmer afforded a morning of rest, with Matheus Santana swimming the anchor leg of the preliminary relay instead.
The past two summers (2017 and 2018, respectively), Brazil’s 4 x 100 freestyle relay has fared extremely well on the world stage. In 2017, at the FINA World Championships in Budapest, the Brazilian quartet of Santos, Chierighini, Cielo, and Bruno Fratus nearly chased down the Americans, who led from start to finish. Brazil won the silver medal in a time of 3:10.34 to Team USA’s 3:10.06, thanks greatly to Chierighini’s 46.85 split over the second leg of the race.
Brazil finally captured gold in the men’s 4 x 100 freestyle relay at the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships, where the team of Santos, Chierighini, Marco Antonio Ferreira, and Pedro Spajari recorded a time of 3:12.02, the fastest time in the world in 2018. While Santos and Ferreira posted rather pedestrian splits of 48.93 and 48.53, respectively, Chierighini dropped a 47.62 as the second leg of the relay, while youngster Spajari blasted a 46.94 to surge home. While the Brazilian men proved themselves a force to be reckoned with in Tokyo last August, it is important to remember that the gold medal they won in the 400 freestyle relay came at the expense of the American team which was disqualified for swimming out of order.
Team USA’s Caeleb Dressel, Blake Pieroni, Zach Apple, and Nathan Adrian combined for a (nearly) world-topping time of 3:11.67, a new Pan Pacs Record. However, following a 48.76 lead-off by Dressel, Apple dove into the pool, splitting a 47.92, which was followed by a 47.72 from Pieroni and a 47.27 from Adrian; however, Pieroni, instead of Apple, ought to have been the second swimmer on that relay, with the resulting mix up bringing on the DQ.
In January, Brazil’s CBDA (Brazil’s Confederation of Water Sports) hosted a training camp for the 8 fastest nationally-ranked men in the 100 LCM freestyle at the Maria Lenk pool in Rio de Janeiro. The camp, which received the blessing of COB (Brazilian Olympic Committee), also invited the swimmers ranked 9th-20th in the 100 free to attend, though each athlete would be responsible for their own travel, lodging, and meals. A separate training camp with identical criteria is also scheduled to happen at the Maria Lenk Pool in February for Brazil’s 8 fastest 200 freestylers, some of which were also selected for the first camp in January. Based on 2018 rankings for the 100 LCM freestyle, the 8 athletes invited to each camp should include:
4 x 100 freestyle relay camp expected invitees:
- Pedro Spajari, 47.95
- Gabriel Santos, 47.98
- Marcelo Chierighini, 48.36
- Marcos Antonio Ferreira Junior, 48.46
- Bruno Fratus, 48.51
- Breno Correia, 48.78
- Joao de Lucca, 49.05
- Cesar Cielo*, 49.29
*Cielo has been contemplating retirement, a decision he says will be made in 2019. After Cielo, the 9th-fastest Brazilian man in the 100 free in 2018 was Andre Luiz Calvelo de Souza at a 49.47.
4 x 200 freestyle relay camp expected invitees:
- Fernando Scheffer, 1:45.51
- Luiz Altamir Melo, 1:46.84
- Breno Correia, 1:47.94
- Joao de Lucca, 1:47.98
- Kaue Carvalho, 1:48.81
- Lucas Peixoto, 1:48.85
- Murilo Sartori, 1:48.91
- Giovanny Lima, 1:49.23
With six athletes, all of whom must swim in either the prelims or the finals of the race, Brazil could increase its chances of earning a medal of any color at the Olympics in Tokyo in 2020. Though the 2018 FINA World Championships in Hangzhou, China, will be a distant memory by Tokyo, perhaps Brazil will still be able to summon some of the magic it used to smash the World Record in the men’s 4 x 200 SCM freestyle relay, a feat which was accomplished by Luiz Melo, Fernando Scheffer, Leonardo Santos, and Breno Correia. Brazil’s SCM relay was a stark contrast to its LCM 4 x 200 free relay, which missed the podium entirely at Pan Pacs, finishing 4th in 7:11.65. The fact that Brazil fared better in SCM than LCM would not surprise most swim fans, given Brazil’s history of producing 50-meter specialists of both genders in all four strokes; however, with a 1:44.87 split from Sheffer, as well as the world record in December, it is evident that Brazil is capable of something special in the freestyle relays, particularly the 4 x 100. Will they have enough firepower to surpass the reigning Olympic champions from the United States, or silver and bronze medalists France and Australia? We can’t say. But knowing that this event has become one of Brazil’s highest priorities will make watching one of the most anticipated events of the Games even more exciting.
Does anyone know when Brazil has their “trials” for Tokyo? Or do they do selection based on the results of Brazilian Nationals?
This is madddd early! And what happened to Matheus Santana?
Well he was not top 8 on LCM last year.. he went to SC world,, but he needs to return to his 48 low if he wants top 4
Sounds a disaster… Brazil should do what South Africa did in 2004, send 4 guys and hope for the best.
Ego will get in the way, what if they all go 47.4 in heat with a 47.9 lead off. This is the USA problem.
Top 4 heat and final, why do people need resting for final, this is the Olympics athletes can swim fast twice in one day, swimming the heat get a hit out and feel for the race.
Brazil no medal.
Yes, they have to swim fast twice a day. But what’s the case if somebody swam not only the relay that day. And some of the relays are not on the 1st day of the meeting.
Imho this isn’t so simple.
Isn’t it actually two days with the evening prelim and morning finals?
It’s an advantage to have six guys and take the fastest 4 into finals. Go ahead and bring 4 and if one those guys is off there goes your medal hopes out the window
The problem with swimming your B team in the prelims is that they swim too slow to even make the finals .. even Australia swam the Campbell sisters during the heats in Rio
Agree with your cautionary note; its nice to have this leeway to rest your main guns but you need to have those “spares” of sufficient quality and/or in sufficient form to “bank” the optimal lanes for the final …… or even get you to the final as both USA & AUS found to their cost in this relay at 2015 Worlds.
Brave of BRA to nail their colors to the mast this early but, other than them, I only see USA as the other nation who are likely to rest more than 1 peak swimmer from the Tokyo heats. AUS, for one, just hasn’t the depth in quality and may even swim the same quartet heats and finals.
Well.. we will see the true strenght this year after Trials And World.
I Think resting 1 will be a sure thing, 2 maybe.
On the 4×100 relay: Would not be surprised if Santos, Spajari and Breno are 47 swimmer with Spajari and Breno being 46 splitters.
Fratus and Chiereghinni are proven 47 Splitters. So the need would be someone else being able to swim at least 48 low mid flat start. a sub 3:14 is enough to qualify, which is a 48,5 by each swimmer. If things go well I would rest Spajari and Breno which will probably have the biggest workload. The strongest relay might be Santos, Breno, Chiereghinni, Spajari.
On 4×200 being Medal potential or… Read more »
Brazil is going to have a really good 4×200 relay at worlds and in Tokyo. I think this year USA has a way better 4×200 team and GB is going to be good but I can see Brazil racing with Russia for bronze
Honestly, I think USA, Russia, GBR and Australia are still a long way ahead of Brazil in the 4×200. Japan too. Chuck in Italy, China, Germany and Brazil have to swim the A team to make finals imo.
Hungary also can be in the final with the 4 (or 4 of the 5) best swim the prelims.
Yep, forgot Hungary.
Me not 🙂
Looks like Cielo will swim for another year and a half 🙂
Too bad much of their success depends on performance enhancing drugs. Brazil has had way too many athletes busted for cheating.
Like Russia, China, Germany, and others
Should we not be critical?
Taking Cielo out, none of those guys mentioned on the article have ever had any problems with PED.
So why would you make a comment like that?
The national body was 1-2 positive tests away from sanctions, that’s a start.
It was? I don’t remember that…have a link?
Good question, we know it never happened. When somebody wins from the not (others be loved) lovely side of the world she/ he has to be a cheater. Otherwise she/he is the most trained, the best. Ostrich and disgusting.