Nicholas Araújo Dias dos Santos (born 14 February 1980) is a former Brazilian competitive swimmer who specializes in freestyle and butterfly sprint events. He swam the 50-metre freestyle at the 2008 Summer Olympics and was a member of the Brazilian 4×100-meter freestyle team at the 2012 Summer Olympics.[1] At the 50-metre butterfly, he is the World Record holder in Short Course, and he was the Americas Record Holder in Long Course.
International career
2001–2004
His first participation in the World Championships was in the 2001 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, where he finished 30th in the 50-metre freestyle.[2][3]
On 17 November, he broke the short-course South American record of the 50-metre butterfly, with a time of 23.82 seconds.[4]
On 10 September 2004, Santos broke the short-course South American record of the 50-metre freestyle with a time of 21.32 seconds, coming close to beat the World Record that belonged to Frédérick Bousquet with 21.10 seconds.[9]
At the 2004 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) in Indianapolis, Nicholas Santos won the silver medal in the 4 × 100-metre freestyle[10] and bronze in the 50-metre freestyle.[11] He also participated in the 50-metre butterfly, where he was disqualified,[12] and the 100-metre freestyle, where he was in the finals, placing 8th.[13]
At the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, he became champion in 4 × 100-metre freestyle, with a new Pan-American record made by the Brazilian team: 3:15.90,[16] and was also a silver medalist in the 50-metre freestyle, with a time of 22.18 seconds.[17]
Nicholas competed in the 2007 Summer Universiade, where he won a gold medal in the 50-metre freestyle and a silver medal in the 50-metre butterfly.[18] He broke the competition record in the 50-metre freestyle, with a time of 22.12 seconds.[19]
2008 Summer Olympics
Nicholas participated in the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 50-metre freestyle, where he reached the semi-finals, finishing in 16th position.[20]
At the 2009 World Aquatics Championships in Rome, he qualified for the 50-metre butterfly finals, finishing in 5th place.[22] He also reached the semi-finals of the 50-metre freestyle, with a time of 21.69 seconds, and finished in 10th place.[23] On 2 September 2009, at the end of the José Finkel Trophy, he won with a time of 21.55 seconds, surpassing his personal best.[24]
In 4 September 2009, he broke the Americas record for the 50-metre butterfly, with a time of 22.87 seconds. This record was broken by César Cielo just three years later, with a time of 22.76 seconds.[25][26]
In 15 November 2009, in short pool (25 m), he completed the 50-metre freestyle in 20.90 seconds and became the first South American to swim the distance under 21 seconds. He shared with César Cielo the short-course South American record in the 50-metre freestyle: 21.32 seconds. He established the time in 2004 and Cielo in 2008.[27]
He was champion of the 2009 FINA Swimming World Cup at the Singapore step in November 2009, beating the Olympic Champion Roland Schoeman in the finals of both the 50-metre butterfly and the 50-metre freestyle.[28][29] At this World Cup, he broke the South American record of the 50-metre butterfly with a time of 22.17 seconds in Berlin and 22.16 seconds in Singapore and the South American record of the 50-metre freestyle with a time of 20.74 seconds in Berlin.[30]
In December 2012, already 32 years old, Nicholas Santos attended the 2012 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) in Istanbul and won the gold medal in the 50-metre butterfly with a time of 22.22 seconds, beating the Championship record.[37]
Santos (left) wins silver in Kazan 2015Santos (centre) wins silver in Kazan 2015
At the 2013 FINA Swimming World Cup in Beijing, China, Santos broke the short-course South American record in the 50-metre butterfly, with a time of 22.13.[42]
At the 2014 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) in Doha, Qatar, Santos won two gold medals on the same day. At 4 December, in the Men's 4 × 50 metre medley relay, formed by Santos, César Cielo, Felipe França Silva and Guilherme Guido, considered the "Dream Team" by Cielo (formed only by medalists or world champions in their respective individual events), Brazil won the gold shattering the world record with a time of 1:30.51.[44] At the same day, he also won the gold medal in the 4 × 50 metre mixed medley relay, along with Felipe França Silva, Etiene Medeiros and Larissa Oliveira, breaking the South American record with a time of 1:37.26, only 0.09 seconds from beating USA's world record (1:37.17).[45] Santos was also trying to defend his title in the Men's 50 metre butterfly, obtained in Istanbul 2012. In the final, he faced Chad le Clos, the world's best butterfly swimmer at the time, World and Olympic champion. Santos broke the Americas record, with a time of 22.08, but lost the gold to the South African, who broke the Championship record, with a time of 21.95.[46] Santos also swam the Men's 100 metre butterfly, finishing in 14th place.[47]
At the 2015 World Aquatics Championships in Kazan, Santos, 35 years old, won one of the most important medals in his career, the silver medal in the Men's 50 metre butterfly.[50][51][52] He became the oldest medalist in the history of the World Championships – aged 35 years and 171 days old, broke the record of Mark Warnecke, gold medalist of the 50 breaststroke at Montreal 2005, which took the podium at 35 years and 162 days old.
[53]
At the age of 37, at the Maria Lenk Trophy held in May 2017, he was able to beat the Americas record in the 50m butterfly, with a time of 22.61, being close to the world record of 22.43 did by Rafa Muñoz, at the super-suits era.[57]
At the age of 39, at the FINA Champions Swim Series held in May 2019 in Budapest, he was able to beat the Americas record in the 50m butterfly, with a time of 22.60. That was the best time of the year.[64]
Santos went to the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju, South Korea thanks to an invitation from FINA, due to the fact that the CBDA, the Brazilian Swimming Confederation, only summoned to this Championship the swimmers of Olympic events. There he won the bronze medal in the Men's 50 metre butterfly at the age of 39, "updating" his record for the oldest swimmer in the world to win a World Championship medal.[65][66]
At the 2022 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, in the 50m butterfly, he won his third silver at World Championships, and his fourth medal in a row, at age 42, with a time of 22.78, again updating his record for oldest swimmer in history to win a medal in World Championships.[70]
On 14 December 2022, at the 2022 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m), in Melbourne, Australia, in the 50-metre butterfly, Santos won his fourth world championship title with a time of 21.78, breaking the Championship Record, 0.03s off his own world record of 21.75. At the age of 42, he broke his own record for being the oldest swimmer to win a world title and being the only and first swimmer in the world to be a four-time world champion in the 50m butterfly event. After the gold medal ceremony, he announced his retirement from the sport. [71][72][73][74]
Records
Nicholas Santos is the current holder, or former holder, of the following records:[75]
Long course (50 m):
Americas record holder of the 50-metre butterfly: 22.60, time. Retrieved 9 May 2019
Former South American record holder of the 4 × 100-metre freestyle: 3:14.15, time. Retrieved 10 May 2009, along with Nicolas Oliveira, Fernando Silva, and César Cielo
Short course (25 m):
Co-World record holder of the 50-metre butterfly: 21.75, time. Retrieved 6 October 2018
Former South American record holder of the 50-metre freestyle: 20.74, time. Retrieved 15 November 2009
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