Brazil’s Nicholas Santos four-time world champion in 50m butterfly
Brazilian Nicholas Santos, 42, showed an outstanding performance in the 50m butterfly event at the World Short Course Championships, which started Wednesday (Dec. 14) and should last until Sunday (18), in Melbourne. He won his fourth championship—and the country’s first medal in the competition—by winning the race in 21s78, leaving behind Swiss Noe Ponti (21.96), 21, and Hungarian Sebastian Szabo (21.98), 26. After the triumph, the swimmer announced his retirement.
“It was not easy to swim in this weather. I'm getting old and leaving it to the young people. I was trying to break the world record—my own record. I was close, but it’s not easy. I’d tried a few times,” Santos told World Aquatics.
Today (14), Nicholas Santos updated the competition record, but was three hundredths away from breaking the world record of 21s75, which he shares with Hungarian Szabo.
“I’m leaving swimming at the age of 42 and I’m really happy and proud. I’m a four-time world champion in this event and I leave the sport as a world record holder, as well as a Pan-American and Olympic champion,” added the swimmer, who competed in his 18th career World Championship.
On the first day of the world tournament a record was broken in the 4x200m freestyle relay by the Brazilian team formed by Aline Rodrigues, Stephanie Balduccini, Gabrielle Roncatto, and Giovanna Diamante.
