Brazil Sending 18 Swimmers to BRICS Games in Russia Next Month

By Riley Overend on SwimSwam

Brazil is sending 18 swimmers to the BRICS Games next month from June 11-24 in Kazan, Russia, including five past Olympians.

Brazilian Roster for 2024 BRICS Games

Men

• Brandonn Almeida
• João Luiz Gomes Jr
• Leonardo Santos
• Matheus Gonche
• Stephan Steverink
• Thiago Ruffini
• Victor Alcará
• Vinicius Assunção
• Vitor Ballan Sega

Women

• Alexia Assunção
• Beatriz Bezerra
• Giovanna Diamante
• Giulia Carvalho
• Julia Karla Góes
• Lorrane Ferreira
• Maria Luiza Pessanha
• Nathalia Almeida
• Thaiana Amaral

Coaches

• Carlos Eduardo Ramos Camargo
• Fernando Vanzella
• Tiago Moreno da Silva

The team features three swimmers who competed at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics and two who went to the Rio 2016 Olympics, but none of the 18 who will be representing Brazil in Paris in July. Bringing experience to the table from Tokyo are 25-year-old Matheus Gonche, 26-year-old Giovanna Diamante, and 27-year-old Nathalia Almeida.

Veteran breaststroker João Luiz Gomes Jr will also make the trip to Kazan for the BRICS Games at 38 years old. Gomes Jr was a 100 breast finalist at the Rio 2016 Olympics and has remained active on the international racing scene since. Fellow Rio 2016 Olympian Brandonn Almeida, 27, was also selected for Brazil’s squad based on national rankings from 2023 and 2024.

Another veteran talent, 29-year-old Leonardo Santos, is a former world record holder in the SCM 4×200 free relay from his performance at the 2018 Short Course World Championships.

The roster also includes up-and-coming talents such as 20-year-old Stephan Steverink, 18-year-old Beatriz Bezerra, and 18-year-old Thaiana Amaral. Steverink has competed at the past two World Championships, Bezerra won silver medals in the 50 fly and 100 fly at the 2022 World Junior Championships, and Amaral swam at World Juniors last year.

Giulia Carvalho is a rising senior at the University of Miami who made the A-final of the 100 fly at the 2024 ACC Championships in February and the B-final at the 2024 NCAA Championships in March.

BRICS is an intergovernmental organization that started as a group of leading emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. It recently expanded to include the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Egypt, and Ethiopia.

The BRICS Games is growing, too, with 29 sports this year attracting more than 5,000 athletes from more than 50 countries, including Kazakhstan, Turkey, Mexico, Uruguay, Venezuela, Bahrain, and Congo. Last year, there were only six sports and five countries involved. Gold medalists will receive about $3,000 USD each, with about $2,000 for silver and $1,200 for bronze.

Russia, of course, can only send swimmers to the Paris Olympics in July as neutral athletes without national symbols. Last month, All-Russia Swimming Federation head Vladimir Salnikov said there are no Russian swimmers requesting neutral status after Olympian Ivan Girev reportedly canceled his approved application. However, three-time Olympic medalist Yulia Efimova has left the door open to compete in Paris while world record holder Evgeniia Chikunova is among those who have publicly withdrawn.

SwimSwam: Brazil Sending 18 Swimmers to BRICS Games in Russia Next Month