Brazilian swimming made its grand debut this Saturday (27) at La Défense Arena in Paris. Maria Fernanda Costa, known as Mafê, and Guilherme Costa, also known by the nickname Cachorrão, from Rio de Janeiro, qualified for the finals of the 400-meter freestyle. The medal match will take place later: at 3:42 pm (Brasília time) in the men’s competition, and at 3:52 pm in the women’s competition.
After 76 years, 22-year-old Olympic debutant Mafê Costa put Brazil back in the finals for a medal in the 400m freestyle. Among 21 participants in the qualifying round, the Rio native had the seventh-fastest time (4min03s47). The first-place finisher was American Katle Ledecky (4min02s19), who has 10 Olympic medals under her belt.
DOUBLE DOSE FINALE! 🏊🏻
On the first day of swimming in #Paris2024O #TimeBrazil won two places in the 400m freestyle finals.
Mafe Costa finished the heat in fifth place, with a time of 4:03.47, and seventh place overall in the women’s category. And Guilherme Costa, known as Cachorrão,… pic.twitter.com/NjplDoGj4O
— Time Brazil (@timebrasil) July 27, 2024
“Swimming in the morning is always a bit difficult. Even more so when you’re just starting out. I’m trying to get used to it. Every time I start a competition, it’s a step forward. It was enough to get into a final. It was really close. I wanted to do better, but the nerves and butterflies in my stomach may have gotten to me. But I’m grateful to have made it into my first Olympic final,” said Mafê, in a statement to the Brazilian Olympic Committee.
The Brazilian will decide the podium with seven other swimmers; Katie Ledecky (United States), Ariarne Titmus (Australia), Erika Fairweather (New Zealand), Summer McIntosh (Canada), Jamie Perkins (Australia), Paige Madden (United States) and Isabel Gose (Germany).
Brazil also had Gabrielle Roncato in the women’s 400m freestyle qualifying round, who finished in 16th place overall.
In the men’s competition, Cachorrão had the second best time among 16 competitors in the qualifying round, and earned the right to compete in the final in one of the pool’s central lanes. The Rio native finished the 400m freestyle in 3min44s23, behind only the German Lukas Martens (3min44s13).
“My main intention was to finish first and I did, regardless of the time I was going to do. And I was even happier to have finished second overall. In the final, everyone will certainly swim faster, but so will I, and I hope to beat everyone else,” declared Cachorrão, confident, after the qualifying round.
