Maria Lenk Trophy: Beatriz Bezerra Adds Worlds Cut to Cap Meet
Beatriz Bezerra picked up an automatic qualification time for the 2025 World Championships in the 50 butterfly to wrap up the Maria Lenk Trophy Saturday night.
Bezerra won the women’s 50 butterfly in 25.98 seconds on the final night of the six-day meet in Rio de Janeiro. She was more than a half-second ahead of Guilia Oliveira Carvalho and under the 26.23 time standard for Worlds in Singapore this summer. Bezerra was one of three qualifiers on the final night of the meet.
In all, 12 swimmers secured 18 Worlds auto cuts at the meet, with six women and six men. Gabrielle Roncatto, who qualified in the 400 free, 800 free and 1,500 free, was named the high scoring women’s athlete at 185 points, while the men’s honor went to Australian Sam Short (160 points), swimming for Unisanta.
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Gui Caribe’s swim in the 100 freestyle of 47.10 was the most outstanding male swim of the meet. The honor on the women’s side went to Stephanie Balduccini’s 200 free time of 1:56.43. Caribe and Roncatto qualified for Worlds in three events apiece, Caribe adding a time of 22.95 in the 50 fly on Saturday and Roncatto getting her third cut in the 800 free.
Fernanda Goeij began the final night of competition by winning the 200 backstroke by .03 seconds over Alexia Tavares Assuncao, though her 2:14.66 was more than 3.5 seconds off the Worlds standard. Samuel Lopes cracked two minutes to win the men’s 200 back in 1:59.52.
Roncatto faced a deep field in the 800 free, with the Brazilian female distance swimmers in great form. She was the only one to hit the A standard, though, her winning time an 8:31.05. Maria Fernanda Costa, who qualified in the 200 and 400, was second in 8:35.94, 1.32 seconds shy of the qualification cut. Leticia Fassina Romao, a qualifier in the 1,500, finished third in 8:37.96.
Short finished his meet far from home with a time of 15:05.35 to win the men’s 1,500 free. Guilherme Da Costa was second in 15:09.10, with Stephan Steverink third in 15:19.17. The auto time is 15:01.99.
Minas Tenis Club capped its team title by winning the women’s medley relay in 4:08.54, edging Pinheiros by .05 seconds. Goeij, Bruna Monteiro Leme, Gabi Albiero and Luanna de Oliveira, the latter rallying from seven tenths down on the anchor leg. Pinheiros won the men’s 400 medley relay in 3:35.08 (Samuel Lopes, Caio Pumputis, Lucia Flavio Paula, Kaique Alves).
Brazilian World Championships Qualifiers
- Maria Fernanda Costa: 200 free, 400 free
- Gabrielle Roncatto: 400 free, 800 free, 1,500 free
- Stephanie Balduccini: 100 free, 200 free
- Leticia Fassina Romao: 1,500 free
- Lorrane Ferreira: 50 free
- Beatriz Bezerra: 50 fly
- Guilherme Costa: 400 free
- Stephan Steverink: 400 free
- Gui Caribe: 50 free, 50 fly, 100 free
- Joao Gomes: 50 breast
- Guilherme Basseto: 50 back
- Victor Alcara: 50 free