Rio 2016 medallists share the pool at World Series

Brazilian swimmers lit up the pool in the first mixed class finals of their home World Para Swimming World Series in Sao Paulo on Saturday (22 April), as they went for World Championships qualification.

The country’s biggest stars shared the water in the men's 100m freestyle, as multiple Rio 2016 Paralympic Games medallists went head-to-head.

A percentage system was applied to all of Saturday’s finals with 14-time S5 Paralympic champion Daniel Dias (100.396) leading the field.

Dias was followed onto the podium by S10 swimmers Phelipe Rodrigues (97.458) and Andre Brasil (96.689), the bronze and silver medallists respectively from Rio 2016.

Cecelia Araujo headed into the women’s 100m freestyle final full of confidence having qualified in the S8 class for the World Championships in Friday’s heats.

Araujo (92.933) converted her performance into a win ahead of Mariana Gesteira Ribeiro (S10, 92.432) and Regiane Nunes Silva (S11, 91.067).

Talisson Glock (S6, 86.359) returned to the water after his bronze medal winning Paralympic debut to take victory in the men’s 50m butterfly. His time of 35.08 also saw him qualify for the Worlds. Glock’s S6 rivals Luis Correa Da Silva (81.416) and Luiz Calvacante Da Silva (74.197) were second and third respectively.

Felipe Caltran (98.672) will make his Worlds debut in the men’s S14 in Mexico City in September having won the men’s 100m butterfly. Thomaz Rocha Matera (S12, 94.034) touched in for second, followed by Vanilton Filho (S9, 90.698) in third.

Five other Brazilian swimmers will join their teammates in Mexico following their performances on Saturday afternoon in the second set of heats of the Sao Paulo World Series.

Italo Gomes reached the men’s 100m backstroke S7 time as well as Matheus Rheine in the men’s 50m freestyle S11. Raquel Viel will compete in the women’s 50m freestyle S12; Edenia Garcia in the women’s 50m backstroke S3 and Joana Neves in the women’s 50m freestyle S5.

Action at the Brazilian Paralympic Training Centre concludes on Sunday (23 April).

Full results are available at the Brazilian Paralympic Committee website alongside live results during the competition.

Pictures are available at the Brazilian Paralympic Committee’s Flickr.

All races are being run as multi-class events. The event doubles as the 2017 Loterias Caixa Swimming Open Championships.

A full schedule and more information can be found at World Para Swimming’s website.