The 50m Mariposa World Record was the “icing on the cake” for Diogo Ribeiro, who finished his participation in the Junior World Swimming Championships in Lima (Peru) with three gold medals (50m butterfly, 100m butterfly and the 50m free). “To be very objective and not just look at medals, nothing like this has ever been seen in national swimming. We already had, and we have, extremely talented swimmers, but nothing compared to this phenomenon,” said José Machado, sports director of the Portuguese Swimming Federation (FPN) to the DN.
Recalling that this is “a brand new situation”, the also national team coach explained that everyone who worked with the 17-year-old swimmer “realized there was an unusual potential there”. And what’s unusual with him? “The ability to focus on a goal. For example, after the European bronze, he went into training mode, instead of celebrating with the other swimmers who finished the season. He showed incredible maturity. He went to Peru alone, long before the matches, with the physiotherapist and the coach and he prepared as best he could. He was the one who convinced himself that it was possible to get three golds and a world record and then he convinced us.”
When many saw the potential, few expected so much in such a short time: “He had a serious problem. [acidente de moto, em julho de 2021, que lhe colocou a carreira em risco] and the season started in November last year and after a four-month break when the normal would have started in September last year, and from the beginning it was realized that it was in an excellent evolutionary stage.”
Strategy and Faith
From the moment he moved from Coimbra to the Centro de Alto-Rendimento do Jamor, a competitive plan was drawn up for the young Benfica player, which was not by mutual consent, but according to José Machado, Diogo believed in the coach’s strategy : “He was told he had enormous potential in swimming that no one else had. He had to make choices that are not easy in the name of a bet with no guarantees.”
The preparation was already aimed at achieving maximum form during these World Junior Championships. At the Nationals in March, he broke national records ten times, but 15 days later he visibly improved at the Danish Championships. That’s why the coach [Albertinho] and they knew that if Diogo entered the European Championships, he would be better in the World Cup 15 days later.
The preparation followed this logic and turned out to be correct. As well as the strategy of giving up the semi-final of the 100-meter freestyle. The swimmer “shared in the decision”. He knew that this race could lead to a medal under normal circumstances, but the gold would be very difficult as the first place would be given to Popovic (absolute world record holder), although Diogo had an even better time than the Romanian in places for the semifinals. Diogo chose the 50m Mariposa, not least because it was his last chance to break the world record, as he will no longer be a junior.
Not going to the European Junior Championships was somewhat controversial and the sporting director had to explain to some people what is now “easier” to justify: “We must have the humility to recognize and understand that we are not used to this level. He has experience is the coach [Alberto Silva, conhecido por Albertinho]who has had the opportunity to work with Olympic medalists [Cielo e Thiago Pereira]. Everyone can have an opinion, but…”
Integrated into the Paris 2024 Olympic project
Born on October 27, 2004, Diogo was a baby when he first came into contact with his older sister’s elevator bath. He was 4 years old when he lost his father – in his memory he tattooed a star on his right shoulder, which he dislocated in the serious accident in July 2021 – and his mother decided to let him swim. At the age of 8, he started participating in the Regional Circuit of Cadets, in Coimbra, on behalf of the Beatriz Santos-Clube Foundation. After four years, he moved to Clube Náutico Académico and in 2021 he joined the Benfica family.
At the age of 17, he is part of the Paris 2024 Olympic project and “it is undeniable” that we will be thinking about medals from now on. “Swimming was aiming for a final as an Olympic target and when that happened the scenario was not as encouraging as it is now, we hadn’t even dreamed of these results. , after in Rio 2016 we got two semi-finals and, in Tokyo 2020, just one. Now it’s different and it’s not just Diogo. In the Europeans we had 9 finals and seven in the best eight and that’s an important step. Fighting for a medal first is the goal,” explained José Machado.
The bronze medal in the 50 m Mariposa at the European Absolutes in Rome (in August) was somehow devalued by the World Gold trilogy, but “it shouldn’t”, according to the sporting director of the FPN: “The gold medals and record may be more eye-catching, but the European bronze is what puts him in the history of swimming and Portuguese sport.”
Source: DN
