Brazil’s Gui Caribe Making Major Strides on Road to World Championships
Over the past year-plus, Jordan Crooks has established himself as one of the rising stars on the global sprint scene. A world record in the short-course version of the 50-meter freestyle. A world title in the same event. Excellence at the University of Tennessee, where NCAA championships – individual and relay – were earned.
On the road to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Crooks (Cayman Islands) will certainly be an athlete to watch. Yet, the same can be said for Crooks’ Tennessee teammate, Gui Caribe, whose recent success cannot go overlooked. If the Brazilian has been overshadowed by Crooks to date, the cloud is quickly moving.
At the recent Maria Lenk Trophy, Caribe has been superb, nailing down a pair of qualifications for this summer’s World Championships in Singapore. Caribe first produced a spectacular performance in the 100 freestyle, going a career-best mark of 47.10. He then followed with a 21.46 outing in the 50 freestyle. Both times have made Caribe a medal contender when the World Champs unfold in the summer.
The development of Caribe at Tennessee has been tremendous, with the junior enjoying a spectacular past month. But to fully understand the growth of Caribe, let’s first look at the past couple of years.
At the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, Caribe clocked 48.18 in the semifinals of the 100 freestyle. He also went 46.76 as Brazil finished sixth in the 400 freestyle relay, with that split the second-fastest of the event. A summer later, at the Olympic Games in Paris, Caribe was 33rd in the prelims of the 50 freestyle (22.31) and placed 12th in the semifinals of the 100 free, off a swim of 48.35.
At the end of the 2024 campaign, Caribe flourished at the World Short Course Championships. In Budapest, Caribe was the silver medalist in the 50 freestyle (20.57) and 100 freestyle (45.47), the longer distance producing a South American record. He carried that momentum into the back half of his college season in Knoxville, where Caribe helped the Volunteers to a pair of NCAA relay titles and was third in the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle.
What Caribe managed at the Maria Lenk Trophy, though, are the 22-year-old’s most-defining performances – and represent a major leap in the Olympic-sized pool. By swimming 47-low in the 100 freestyle, Caribe has significantly cut his personal best and is in elite territory as the No. 10 performer in history. More, he has elevated his standing in the 50 freestyle to World Champs podium-contender status.
Caribe is well-positioned to make noise at the World Championships in Singapore, particularly in the 100 freestyle. The Brazilian has consistently enhanced his profile, whether in the long-course pool or in short-course action, and any shadow that might have hovered, is fading away.