The Brazilian Junior Winter Swimming Interclub Championship took place in Recife (PE) last weekend. The MS delegation had 20 athletes participating in the competition. More than 780 athletes from 114 clubs across the country took part in the event.
The MS delegation, consisting of 13 male and 7 female athletes from clubs such as ALB Estoril, APAN/Costa Rica, AA Maracajuense, and Rádio Clube, returned home with two medals. The competition started on Tuesday, with Bento Geleilate, 15, winning the 100-meter backstroke and Otávio Balle, also 15, securing the silver in the 1,500-meter freestyle.
Bento expressed his happiness with the victory, stating, “It was six months of hard work for this achievement, along with my coach and family. I am very happy to have reached this goal.” He finished with a time of 58.81 seconds. Otávio Balle, on the other hand, achieved the status of the Brazilian vice-champion with a time of 16 minutes and 17.43 seconds. Both athletes are beneficiaries of the Bolsa Atleta program, which supports the performance of athletes in the state.
Balle shared his joy, saying, “I am very happy with my placement as the Brazilian vice-champion. It was a long time of hard work, six months of putting in a lot of effort.” This success highlights the dedication and perseverance of these young athletes in their sport.
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