Former Louisville Cardinal and Brazilian Olympic swimmer\u00a0Joao de Lucca\u00a0<\/strong>announced his retirement from swimming on Friday afternoon at age 30. De Lucca swam in two Olympics for Brazil, swimming on the prelims relay for the 4×100 freestyle team that finished out of the final in 2012.<\/p>\n

In 2016, de Lucca swam in front of the home Brazilian crowd and placed 25th in the 200 freestyle with a 1:47.63, and also swam on the 4×100 free relay team that finished in fifth. He swam the second leg of the 4×200 free relay team that was 13th, splitting a 1:47.<\/p>\n

The year prior, de Lucca won three gold medals at the 2015 Pan American Games, taking the individual 200 freestyle with a 1:46.42, which broke the South American record at the time that has since been broken. He also swam the second leg of the gold medal winning 4×100 and 4×200 freestyle relay teams for Brazil that both broke the Games records. Four years later in 2019, de Lucca helped Brazil make the final of the 4×200 at the World Championships where the team placed seventh and off the podium.<\/p>\n

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De Lucca celebrates the 2014 NCAA titles in the 100 free. Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick<\/p><\/div>\n
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Joao de Lucca celebrates the 2013 NCAA title in the 200 free. Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick<\/p><\/div>\n
A few weeks later, de Lucca swam the third leg of Brazil’s 4×200 free relay team that won the gold medal at the Pan American Games in Lima.<\/p>\n
De Lucca sits second all-time in Brazil in the 200 freestyle with his swim from the Pan American Games and is eleventh all-time in Brazil in the 100 free with his swim from the 2016 Maria Lenk Trophy in Rio.<\/p>\n
Joao de Lucca won three NCAA titles while at the University of Louisville<\/a>, taking the 200 freestyle in 2013<\/a> & 2014<\/a>, as well as the 100 freestyle in 2014<\/a>. He was just the second swimmer from Louisville to win an individual NCAA title in swimming, and the first to do it twice. He was one of the catalysts in bringing Louisville up to a national swimming power where the school resides now.<\/p>\n
He still holds the school record in the 100 & 200 freestyle at Louisville.<\/p>\n
Joao de Lucca’s best times (SCY \/ LCM)<\/strong><\/p>\n
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100 free: 41.70 \/ 48.59<\/li>\n
200 free: 1:31.51 \/ 1:46.42<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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A post shared by Jo\u00e3o Bevilaqua De Lucca (@de_lucca_joao)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n