Bruno Giuseppe Fratus (born 30 June 1989[3]) is a Brazilian competitive swimmer. He won a bronze medal in the 50-metre freestyle at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.[4] In July 2021, Fratus became the first swimmer in history to swim the long course 50 metre freestyle race in less than 22 seconds 90 times.[5] He surpassed this mark by swimming his 100th sub-22 second 50 metre freestyle at the 19th World Aquatics Championships in June 2022.[6]
In the 50 metre freestyle, he won 3 medals in a row at the World Championships in 2015, 2017 and 2019 (2 silver and 1 bronze), in addition to having won silver in the 4×100 metre freestyle relay in 2017. He is also the gold medalist in the 50 metre freestyle at the 2014 Pan Pacific Championships and at the 2019 Pan American Games.
Personal life
[edit]Fratus trains in Coral Springs, Florida at the Coral Springs Aquatic Complex.[7] Before 2019, Fratus trained under the guidance of coach Brett Hawke, and in 2019 Fratus switched coaches from Brett Hawke to Michelle Lenhardt, who continues to serve as his coach.[1][2]
In 2014, Fratus married Michelle Lenhardt, who is also an Olympian swimmer and now serves as one of his coaches.[8][9]
Shortly after winning the bronze medal in the 50 metre freestyle at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Fratus' celebration went viral. It was nearly identical to the "Bronze Medal" meme that first emerged in 2020, with the coincidences catching the eye of many on social media.[10] It is not known if Fratus was initially aware of the meme, telling Portugal's SPORT TV that his emotions were honest and he did not fake anything.[11]
International career
[edit]2010–12
[edit]At the 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Irvine, California, United States, Fratus made his first major involvement in an international tournament, finishing 4th in 50 metre freestyle, with a time of 21.93 seconds.[12] He also finished 25th in the 100 metre freestyle.[13]
In the 2011 World Aquatics Championships held in Shanghai, China, Fratus made the fastest time in the semifinals of the 50 metre freestyle: 21.76 seconds. He finished 5th in the final, with a time of 21.96 seconds.[14] At the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Fratus won three medals: the gold medal in the 4×100 metre freestyle and medley relays,[15][16][17] and the silver medal in the 50-metre freestyle.[18]
In April 2012, disputing the Maria Lenk Trophy in Rio de Janeiro, Fratus earned the mark of 21.70 seconds in 50 metre freestyle.[19]
2012 Summer Olympics
[edit]At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Fratus reached the final of the 50 metre freestyle where he earned a fourth-place finish with a time of 21.61 seconds, touching the wall just 0.02 seconds after César Cielo, who won the bronze medal with a time of 21.59 seconds.[20]
2013–16
[edit]In May 2013, Fratus underwent surgery to resolve an injury in his right shoulder, which lasted two years.[21]
Fratus won a gold medal at the 2014 South American Games. In the men's 50 metre freestyle, he broke the competition record with a time of 22.12 in the heats.[22][23] At the 2014 Maria Lenk Trophy, in São Paulo, he won a silver medal in the 50-metre freestyle with a time of 21.45, losing only to Cielo, who won with a time of 21.39.[24]
At the 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, Fratus won a bronze medal in the Brazilian 4×100 metre freestyle relay, along with João de Lucca, Marcelo Chierighini and Nicolas Oliveira.[25] The next day, he won the gold medal in the 50 metre freestyle, defeating Olympic champions Anthony Ervin and Nathan Adrian, breaking the Championship record, and beating his personal record with a time of 21.44.[26]
In December 2014, at the Brazilian Open, in Rio de Janeiro, he swam lifetime best in the 100 metre freestyle, with a time of 48.57,[27] and in the 50-metre freestyle, with a time of 21.41.[28]
In April 2015, he competed in the Brazilian Long Course Championship (Maria Lenk Trophy) for Esporte Clube Pinheiros. He had a time of 21.74 in the qualifying of the 50 metre freestyle, being by then the second-best mark in the 2015 world ranking.[29] He won the 50-metre freestyle final, beating César Cielo with the same time as the qualifying.[30]
In July, Fratus competed in the Pan American Games, in Toronto. He won the gold medal in the 4×100-metre freestyle relay, together with Matheus Santana, João de Lucca, and Marcelo Chierighini. The team established a new Pan American Games record with a time of 3:13.66.[31][32][33] Fratus also won the silver medal in the 50 metre freestyle.[34][35][36]
At the 2015 World Aquatics Championships in Kazan, Fratus earned his first medal in World Championships in the Men's 50 metre freestyle, where he won the bronze, with a time of 21.55.[37] He also finished 4th in the Men's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay, along with Marcelo Chierighini, Matheus Santana and João de Lucca. César Cielo did not swim the final – despite being participating in the championship, he was feeling shoulder pain on this day;[38][39][40] and 6th in the 4 × 100 metre mixed freestyle relay, along with Matheus Santana, Larissa Oliveira and Daynara de Paula, breaking the South American record with a time of 3:25.58.[41]
At the Open tournament held in Palhoça, Fratus broke his personal record in the 50-metre freestyle with a time of 21.37.[42]
2016 Summer Olympics
[edit]At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Fratus arrived as one of the favorites to win a medal in the Men's 50 metre freestyle. He qualified for the final, but he only finished in 6th place with a time of 21.79. In an interview, he said: "For some reason, I'm not able to swim faster than that. I have no idea what is happening. This year has been very bad. I have to review the program". Before the Games, Fratus was suffering from chronic back pain. The Brazilian Aquatic Sports Confederation (CBDA) even sent a physiotherapist to the United States, where Fratus lives and trains to accompany the athlete.[43]
2017–19
[edit]At the 2017 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, in the Men's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay, the Brazilian team composed of Fratus, César Cielo, Marcelo Chierighini and Gabriel Santos achieved a historic result by winning the silver medal, the best Brazilian result of all time at World Championships in this race. Brazil beat the South American record of 2009, still in the super-suits era, with a time of 3:10.34, finishing 0.28 seconds after the gold-medal-winning team. The last medal of Brazil in this race, in Worlds, was obtained in 1994.[44][45][46] In the Men's 50 metre freestyle, Fratus made the best time of his life in the race, 21.27, thus winning the silver medal. Fratus beat the best time of César Cielo in this race without the super-suits (21.32).[47] He also helped Brazil's 4 × 100 metre medley relay to go to the final, swimming at heats.[48] He registered his 59th and 60th sub-22 second long course 50-meter freestyles on 17 June 2018 at the Mare Nostrum Tour, passing country-mate and Olympic gold medalist Cesar Cielo as the most frequent 21-second sprinter in history.[49]
In September 2018, Fratus underwent surgery to correct a partial rupture of the subscapularis tendon of the shoulder, missing out on important competitions.[50]
Fratus only managed to re-train in good condition in February 2019. In April, managed to do the best time in the world in the 50m freestyle: 21.47.[51] He won countless golds in the preparatory events in Europe and reached the World Championship with the three best times in the world at the moment: 21.31 (Mare Nostrum Monaco), 21.42 (Sette Colli) and 21.47.[52]
At the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, Fratus won the silver medal in the Men's 50 metre freestyle for the second time in a row, with a time of 21.45, losing only to Caeleb Dressel.[53] In the Men's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay, he finished 6th, helping Brazil qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.[54]
At the 2019 Pan American Games held in Lima, Peru, Fratus won the gold medal in the Men's 50 metre freestyle, defeating Nathan Adrian, with a time of 21.61.[55] He won another gold in the Men's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay, breaking the Pan American Games record.[56]
2020 Summer Olympics
[edit]2020 Summer Olympics | ||
---|---|---|
![]() |
50 m freestyle | 21.57 |
At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, Fratus qualified for his third Olympic final in the men's 50 metre freestyle with a time of 21.60 in the semifinals on 31 July 2021.[57] This semifinal swim of 21.60 marked his 90th time swimming the 50 metre freestyle in less than 22 seconds, making him the first swimmer in history to do so.[5] In the final on 1 August, Fratus won the bronze medal at the age of 32 with a time of 21.57 seconds, finishing just 0.02 seconds after silver medalist Florent Manaudou of France who touched the wall at 21.55 seconds.[58] It was the fourth medal for Brazil in the history of the 50 metre freestyle at the Olympic Games.[59] Fratus became the oldest pool swimmer in history to win their first Olympic medal.[60] Fratus showing his joy for winning his first Olympic medal after debuting at the Olympic Games nine years earlier was highlighted by Reuters as one of the joyful emotional moments of the 2020 Summer Olympics.[61]
International championships
[edit]Meet | 50 freestyle | 100 freestyle | 4×100 freestyle | 4×100 medley | 4×100 mixed freestyle |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
PAC 2010 | 4th | 25th | — | ||
WC 2011 | 5th | 24th | 9th | 14th | — |
PAN 2011 | ![]() |
11th (h) | ![]() |
![]() |
— |
SAC 2012 | ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
— | |
OG 2012 | 4th | 9th | — | ||
SAG 2014 | ![]() |
— | |||
PAC 2014 | ![]() |
![]() |
— | ||
PAN 2015 | ![]() |
![]() |
— | ||
WC 2015 | ![]() |
4th | 6th | ||
OG 2016 | 6th | — | |||
WC 2017 | ![]() |
![]() |
5th[a] | ||
WC 2019 | ![]() |
6th | |||
PAN 2019 | ![]() |
![]() |
|||
OG 2020 | ![]() |
||||
WC 2022 | 8th (sf) |
- a Fratus swam only in the preliminaries.
Career best times
[edit]Long course metres (50 m pool)
[edit]- As of 8 January 2022
Event | Time | Meet | Location | Date | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
50 m freestyle | 21.27 | 2017 World Aquatics Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 29 July 2017 | [47] |
100 m freestyle | 48.50 | 2017 Maria Lenk Trophy | Rio de Janeiro | 4 May 2017 | [62] |
Short course metres (25 m pool)
[edit]- As of 8 January 2022
Event | Time | Meet | Location | Date | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
50 m freestyle | 20.98 | 2020 International Swimming League | Budapest, Hungary | 9 November 2020 | [63] |
100 m freestyle | 47.71 | 2020 International Swimming League | Budapest, Hungary | 25 October 2020 | [64] |
Awards and honours
[edit]- Fratus was the recipient of the Key to the City of Coral Springs, Florida in October 2021.[7]
- SwimSwam Swammy Award, South American Swimmer of the Year (male): 2021[65]
- SwimSwam Top 100 (Men's): 2021 (#39),[66] 2022 (#76)[67]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Ross, Andy (21 May 2020). "Bruno Fratus Returns to Training: "Just To Be Back in the Pool, It's Already Something"". Swimming World. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ a b Anderson, Jared (6 November 2019). "Bruno Fratus No Longer Training With Hawke, Will Train With Wife Lenhardt". SwimSwam. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ "National Ranking-Page 1" (PDF). FAGO (in Portuguese). 20 December 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 December 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
- ^ "Bruno Fratus". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
- ^ a b Penland, Spencer (30 July 2021). "Tokyo 2020, South America Recap Day 7: Fratus Posts 90th Career Sub-22 LCN 50 FR". SwimSwam. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- ^ Penland, Spencer (23 June 2022). "Fratus Clocks 100th 21-Point LCM 50 Free of His Career". SwimSwam. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
- ^ a b Boggiano, Bryan (9 October 2021). "Olympian Bruno Fratus Receives Key To The City". Coral Springs Talk. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ Race, Retta (28 April 2020). "PARTNERS IN PERFORMANCE: BRUNO FRATUS AND MICHELLE LENHARDT". Swim Swam. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
- ^ Anderson, Jared (20 May 2014). "BRAZILIAN OLYMPIANS BRUNO FRATUS, MICHELLE LENHARDT MARRY IN ATLANTA". Swim Swam. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
- ^ Kachalin, Philipp (2 August 2021). "Life Imitates Art: Brazilian Swimmer Almost Perfectly Recreates The 'Bronze Medal' Meme". Know Your Meme. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
- ^ Loh, Matthew. "A Brazilian swimmer's triumphant Olympic bronze medal celebration brought an iconic meme to life". Insider. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
- ^ Cielo gets silver on 50-metre freestyle
- ^ "Results of the 100-metre freestyle at 2010 Pan Pac in Irvine". OmegaTiming. 19 August 2010. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
- ^ Gismondi, Lydia (3 July 2011). "Imbatível no tiro curto, Cielo voa nos 50m livre e vira bicampeão mundial" [Unbeatable in the short shot, Cielo flies in the 50m freestyle and becomes two-time world champion]. Globo Esporte (in Portuguese).
- ^ "Heats – Day 7" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ^ "Cesar Cielo closes the lid, and Brazil wins the 4×100-metre medley". Globoesporte (in Portuguese). 21 October 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ^ "Cielo backs to the pool, and leads Brazil in the 4×100-metre freestyle gold". Globoesporte (in Portuguese). 16 October 2011. Archived from the original on 1 July 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ^ "Faster in the planet, Cielo flies at the 50-metre freestyle, and pulls "double" with Fratus". Globoesporte (in Portuguese). 20 October 2011. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ^ Fratus gets best mark of the year and career
- ^ Cielo bronze at 50-metre freestyle, Fratus fourth Archived 2012-11-04 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Bruno Fratus undergoes shoulder surgery and warrant: 'Brand new'". Globoesporte (in Portuguese). 11 May 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ^ "Results of the 50-metre freestyle heats at 2014 South American Games" (PDF). 2014 South American Games Official Site. 9 March 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
- ^ "Results of the 50-metre freestyle finals at 2014 South American Games" (PDF). 2014 South American Games Official Site. 9 March 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
- ^ "Cesar Cielo Posts Stunning 50 Free at Maria Lenk Trophy Meet (With Race Video Footage)". Swimming World. 23 April 2014. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
- ^ "Brazil won bronze in the 4 × 100 male, and Katie Ledecky hits world record in the 400 free". Best Swimming (in Portuguese). 23 August 2014. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ^ "Bruno Fratus won the 50 free on the last day of the Pan Pacs". Best Swimming (in Portuguese). 24 August 2014. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ^ "BRUNO FRATUS SWIMS LIFETIME BEST IN 100 FREE; DEDEUS BREAKS BRAZILIAN RECORD". Swim Swam. 19 December 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
- ^ "Victorious end of year to the Brazilian Swimming". CBDA (in Portuguese). 20 December 2014. Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
- ^ Fabrício Marques and Lydia Gismondi (8 April 2015). "Fratus supera Cielo nos 50m livre e afirma: "Crescer juntos é o caminho"" [Fratus beats Cielo in the 50-metre freestyle and says: "Developing together is the way"] (in Portuguese). Globoesporte.com. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
- ^ "Thiago Pereira wins Maria Lenk 400 IM for 13th-straight year, Fratus beats Cielo on day 3". swimswam.com. 8 April 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
- ^ "Brazil Defends 400 Free Relay With Pan American Games Mark, Santo Condorelli With World Best in 100 Free". Swimming World. 14 July 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- ^ "Brazil is gold in the 4x100m freestyle and Thiago Pereira opens count towards record". Globoesporte (in Portuguese). 14 July 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
- ^ "First day of five medals, and two gold medals to Brazil, but the party was Canadian". Best Swimming (in Portuguese). 15 July 2015. Archived from the original on 21 July 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
- ^ "Josh Schneider Touches Out Bruno Fratus for 50 Free Title at Pan American Games". Swimming World. 17 July 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
- ^ "Historic day for Brazil women's swimming in the Pan". Best Swimming (in Portuguese). 18 July 2015. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
- ^ "Diet works, and Felipe França leads Brazil double in the 100m breaststroke". Globoesporte (in Portuguese). 17 July 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
- ^ "Results of the 50-metre freestyle at 2015 Kazan". OmegaTiming. 8 August 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
- ^ "Results of the 4x100-metre freestyle at 2015 Kazan". OmegaTiming. 2 August 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ^ "Brazil doesn't scale Cielo to the 4 x 100 m freestyle final in Kazan". Folha de S~Paulo (in Portuguese). 2 August 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ^ "First day of finals in the World Championships". Best Swimming (in Portuguese). 2 August 2015. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ^ "Results of the 4 × 100 metre mixed freestyle relay at 2015 Kazan". OmegaTiming. 8 August 2015. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
- ^ "Fratus "heats" to the 50-metre freestyle with his best career time and olympic index". Globoesporte (in Portuguese). 16 December 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- ^ "Ervin beats Manaudou and back to win gold after 16 years; Fratus is sixth". Globoesporte (in Portuguese). 12 August 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
- ^ "Results of the 4x100-metre freestyle at 2017 Budapest". OmegaTiming. 23 July 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ^ "The 33rd World Medal of the Brazilian Swimming". CBDA (in Portuguese). 23 July 2017. Archived from the original on 26 July 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ^ Costa, Guilherme (23 July 2017). "Na braçada! Brasil nada lado a lado com os EUA e leva prata no 4x100m do Mundial" [In the stroke! Brazil swims side by side with USA and takes silver at 4x100m-free in the World Championships]. Globoesporte (in Portuguese). Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ^ a b "Results of the 50-metre freestyle at 2017 Budapest". OmegaTiming. 29 July 2017. Archived from the original on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
- ^ "Results of the 4x100-metre medley at 2017 Budapest". OmegaTiming. 30 July 2017. Archived from the original on 9 October 2018. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
- ^ Anderson, Jared (17 June 2018). "Fratus Breaks Cielo's Record With 60th Sub-22 Swim In 50 Free". SwimSwam.
- ^ "After a semester stopped, Fratus opens year with Pan and World in his sights". Globoesporte (in Portuguese). 1 February 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
- ^ "After 7 months without training, Fratus sets the world's best time in the 50m freestyle: "I have a lot to improve"". Globoesporte (in Portuguese). 21 April 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
- ^ "Bruno Fratus wins silver in the 50m freestyle for the second time in a row; Caeleb Dressel is Gold". Globoesporte (in Portuguese). 21 April 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
- ^ "Results of the 100 metre freestyle at 2019 Gwangju" (PDF). Omega Timing. 27 July 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 July 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
- ^ "Results of the 4 × 100 metre freestyle at 2019 Gwangju" (PDF). Omega Timing. 21 July 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
- ^ "Men's 50m Freestyle - A Final" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 August 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
- ^ "Men's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay Final" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 August 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
- ^ Conde, Paulo (30 July 2021). "Fratus faz melhor marca no ano e vai à final dos 50m livre nas Olimpíadas". Globo Esporte (in Portuguese).
- ^ Omega Timing; Atos (1 August 2021). "Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games: Swimming Results Book" Archived 7 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine. International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ Conde, Paulo (31 July 2021). "Fratus faz história, conquista o bronze e dá ao país 4º medalha na história dos 50m livre nas Olimpíadas". Globo Esporte (in Portuguese).
- ^ Penland, Spencer (1 August 2021). "Tokyo 2020, SA Day 8: Fratus Becomes Oldest Swimmer to Win First Olympic Medal". SwimSwam.
- ^ Sheldrick, Aaron (1 August 2021). "Swimming-Pool a hotbed of emotion as under-pressure stars unload". Reuters. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ "Bruno Fratus: Results". FINA. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ ISL (9 November 2020). "2020 ISL Preliminaries Budapest (HUN) - Match 9: Men's 50m Freestyle Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ ISL (25 October 2020). "2020 ISL Preliminaries Budapest (HUN) - Match 3: Men's 100m Freestyle Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ Penland, Spencer (4 January 2022). "2021 Swammy Awards: South American Male Swimmer of the Year, Bruno Fratus". SwimSwam. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ Keith, Braden (2 February 2021). "SwimSwam's Top 100 For 2021: Men's #40 — #31". SwimSwam. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ Sutherland, James (6 January 2022). "SwimSwam's Top 100 For 2022: Men's #100-76". SwimSwam. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
External links
[edit]- Bruno Fratus at the International Swimming League (archived)
- Bruno Fratus at World Aquatics
- Bruno Fratus at SwimRankings.net
- Bruno Fratus at Olympics.com
- Bruno Fratus at Olympedia
- Bruno Fratus at the Brazilian Olympic Committee (in Portuguese)