Four current and former Indiana swimmers competed in the 2021 Brazilian Olympic Trials at the Maria Lenk Water Park, in Barra da Tijuca, West Zone of Rio de Janeiro. In order to secure a spot in the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the swimmers needed to place first or second in a final and beat the FINA “A†standard.
Former Indiana standout Vini Lanza punched his ticket to the Olympics in the 200 IM after finishing second in the finals with a time of 1:59.67.
GABRIEL FANTONI (INDIANA ’21)
In his debut event of the trials, Fantoni finished in third place of the 100 Backstroke at 54.28. The four-time defending Big Ten Champion made the 50-meter turn in second, but was unable to hold his ground and missed his lifetime-best mark of 53.72 from the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships.
Fantoni claimed runner-up honors in the 200 Backstroke with a time of 2:02.34 after, once again, pacing the field early in race. He held off fellow countryman Brandonn Almeida by .38 seconds.
MARIA PAULA HEITMANN (INDIANA ’20)
A three-time All-American at Indiana, Heitmann finished seventh in the 200 Freestyle at 2:01.34.
Heitmann nabbed sixth place out of the finals of the 400 Freestyle with a time of 4:17.08.
She closed out her week with a seventh place finish in the 800 Freestyle with a time of 9:05.79.
VINI LANZA (INDIANA ’19)
The former three-time Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships nabbed a spot on the Brazilian National Team with a great swim in the 200 IM. He touched in second place with a time of 1:59.58, just under the FINA “A†Standard mark of 1:59.67.
Lanza finished third overall in the 100 Butterfly after carrying the top time into the finals. He touched at 52.36, ahead of his preliminary pace.
In the 200 Butterfly, Lanza shot out quick to post a 100-meter split of 56.63 but struggled to hang with the top of the field and slipped to ninth in the prelims with a time of 2:04.17.
IAGO MOUSSALEM (INDIANA ’20)
Moussalem, a transfer from Miami (OH) prior to his senior season in 2019-20, touched in ninth place in the 100 Butterfly with a time of 53.11.
In the 200 Butterfly, Moussalem finished eighth out of the Championship Final with a time of 2:02.36.
FINAL RESULTS
Gabriel Fantoni
100 Backstroke – 54.28 (3rd Place)
200 Backstroke – 2:02.34 (2nd Place)
Maria Paula Heitmann
200 Freestyle – 2:01.34 (7th Place)
400 Freestyle – 4:17.08 (6th Place)
800 Freestyle – 9:05.79 (9th Place)
Vini Lanza
100 Butterfly – 52.36 (3rd Place)
200 Butterfly – 2:04.17 (9th Place)
200 IM – 1:59.58* (2nd Place)
Iago Moussalem
100 Butterfly – 51.11 (9th Place)
200 Butterfly – 2:02.36 (8th Place)
