Diogo Ribeiro became Junior World Champion in the 50m Mariposa… and rightfully so, to set a world record. The 17-year-old Portuguese swimmer had already won bronze in August at the absolute European Championship, in Rome, at the same distance.
This morning, in Lima (Peru), Diogo took the test in 22.96 seconds, which has been held since October 2020 by Russian Andrei Minakov (23.05), also removing 11 hundredths from the national record, which has already been set for him. Czech Daniel Gracik finished in second place (23.46) and Dane Casper Puggaard in third place (23.96).
To focus on the final of the 50m mariposa and as events were only 20 minutes apart, the Portuguese renounced the semifinal of the 100m freestyle, for which he had qualified with the best time of the qualifiers , for the absolute world record holder, the Romanian David Popovici.
The young Portuguese swimmer stated that breaking the world record in the 50m butterfly at the Junior World Cups in Lima, Peru had been a goal since the European in Rome, Italy, in August.
“In Rome I really wanted to break this record. At the end of the 50s [metros] mariposa at the European Championships in Rome I looked at the time and saw that it was not a record and only later did I realize that I had finished third and then I was happy. So when I got here, that goal was in my head,” said Diogo Ribeiro, quoted in a note released today by the Portuguese Swimming Federation.
The Benfica swimmer emphasized that “the option not to participate in the 100 . semi-final [metros] free was difficult, but it had to be taken”.
“I entered the 100 freestyle qualifiers to have a boost. I think it was the best decision as the record was broken by a good margin. I entered the final without thinking much about it to think, I went in relaxed, I didn’t even think about the personal best of 22,” he added.
For the swimmer, the option to participate in the absolute European and Junior World Championships went “good”, despite it being “a risk”, and, he pointed out, “the program did not allow” his participation, as “some events had 15 to 20 minutes between the qualifiers, semi-finals and finals”.
“But it was possible to recover and perform at a good level, of course with the help of the physiotherapist Daniel Moedas and with a very focused attitude, both at the competitive level and between matches,” he explained.
Diogo Ribeiro also admitted that he has felt more pressure in these World Cups.
“I didn’t feel the pressure in Rome. I was the youngest and people didn’t expect a result. Here in Lima, yes. But I think my coach and I knew how to manage these facts well. We came, but asked for me to adapt to the test schedule and the climate. The first days I didn’t feel well, but then I started to believe and detach myself from everything,” he noted.
“To focus, I had to disconnect from social networks and my mobile phone, I think everyone understood that. I just have to thank you for the support shown,” he concluded.
It is the third title in this junior world championship for the swimmer from Benfica, who had already won gold in the 100m Mariposa and 50m freestyle, in the latter with the mark of 21.92 seconds – new national record for juniors, very close to the absolute maximum in Portugal (21.90) by Miguel Nascimento (Benfica).
Portuguese swimming has never seen such a phenomenon, with three world titles. He is part of the Paris 2024 Olympic project and dreams big. He tells anyone who listens to him that he wants to be one of the best in the world and achieve an Olympic medal… goals that until recently seemed like a mirage, but are now taking wings through brutal evolution and an unparalleled achievement in the swimming.
Source: DN
