Poliana Okimoto, Thiago Pereira Highlight Jose Finkel Meet in Brazil

SAO PAULO, Brazil, August 17. SEVERAL of Brazil’s world championship team members braved chilly outdoor conditions to compete in the Jose Finkel Trophy meet just two weeks after racing in Barcelona. Poliana Okimoto, who raced in the open water competitions at the world championships, was the only three-event winner.

Okimoto was able to sweep the distance events on the women’s side this week, taking the 400 free (4:14.36), 800 free (8:44.26) and 1500 free (16:26.90). Okimoto won the 10K swim and was second in the 5K swim in Barcelona, as well as a bronze medalist in the team 5K event.

Thiago Pereira, the bronze medalist in the 200 and 400 individual medleys at worlds, posted a victory in the 400 IM with a 4:20.41. Pereira posted a 4:09.48 on his way to the bronze medal in Barcelona. Pereira skipped the 200 IM at the Jose Finkel meet, but placed second in the 100 fly with a 53.42, where Marcos Macedo won with a 52.92.

Felipe Lima, who was the bronze medalist in the 100 breaststroke with a 59.65, won the 100 breast this week with a 1:01.02. Also racing again after worlds was Nicolas Oliveira, who placed 11th in the semifinals of the 200 freestyle at worlds with a 1:47.42. He won that event in Sao Paulo with a 1:48.40.

Another world championship medal winner making an appearance in Sao Paulo was Femke Heemskerk of the Netherlands. After helping the Dutch take bronze in the women’s 400 free relay, Heemskerk won the 200 IM this week with a 2:14.89, as well as the 100 free with a 54.74. She also was second in the 50 free with a 25.84 to Graciele Herman’s 25.29.

Nicholas Santos, the fourth-place finisher in the 50 fly at the world championships with a 23.21, won in Sao Paulo with a respectable 23.27. Santos also won the 50 free with a 22.30 at the Jose Finkel meet ahead of world championship teammate Marcelo Chierighini’s 22.38. Chierighini, who was 10th overall at world championships with a 21.84, won the 100 free with a 49.20.

Joao Gomes, fifth in the 50 breast in Barcelona, won that event in 27.59. A tie for second took place, with Lima and 2011 world champion Felipe Silva touching in 27.72.

Daniel Orzechowski, who finished sixth in the 50 backstroke in Barcelona with a 24.87, won in Sao Paulo with a 25.61. Etienne Medeiros competed in the women’s 50 backstroke final, finishing fourth with a 27.83, and won this week with a 28.25.

Leonardo de Deus, a finalist in the men’s 200 fly at worlds, won that event this week with a 1:58.26, two seconds slower than his eighth-place time in Barcelona. De Deus added the 100 back win this week with a 55.29, as well as the 200 back with a 1:59.51.

Daynara de Paula, a semifinalist in the women’s 100 fly in Barcelona, put up a 1:00.22 this week to win the event, a little more than a second slower than the 59.16 she swam in semis in Barcelona. She also won the 50 fly in Sao Paulo with a 26.88.

Another Brazilian semifinalist on the women’s side at worlds was Joanna Maranhao in the 200 fly, who finished 16th overall with a 2:14.07 in semis and a 2:11.14 in prelims. This week, she posted a winning time of 2:12.68 in the 200 fly and also won the 400 IM with a 4:49.09, about five seconds slower than she swam in Barcelona to place 17th overall.

Two weeks after competing in the semifinals of the 200 individual medley in Barcelona, Henrique Rodrigues won that event at the Jose Finkel meet with a 2:021.29. His fastest swim at worlds was a 1:58.73 in prelims.

Manuella Lyrio was also a member of the world championship team, placing 22nd in the 200 free with a 1:59.52. She won this week with a 2:01.32.

Julia Sebastian, who represented Argentina at the world championships, set national records in sweeping the women’s breaststroke events, taking the 50 breast in 32.02, the 100 breast with a 1:09.44, the 200 breast in 2:28.99.

Other winners this week took advantage of the opportunity to win a winter national championship. Juan Pereyra, a 2012 Olympian, won the 400 free with a 3:53.73 and the 800 free with an 8:07.63. Matheus Neto won the men’s 200 breast with a 2:13.92 ahead of Lima’s 2:14.07. Natalia de Luccas, just 17 years old, won the women’s 100 back with a 1:02.46.

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