A 42-year-old Brazilian father who is older than Grant Hackett and Ian Thorpe has finally called time on a remarkable swimming career after motoring home to win another World Shortcourse Championship gold medal against some opponents half his age.
The Nicholas Santos story will be hard to top at this week’s World Shortcourse Championships in Melbourne after the man defying swimming history claimed his 10th world title, doing so in the men’s 50m butterfly.
Santos turned in third place, 0.09 seconds off the pace, in the two-lap splash and dash before roaring home to hit the wall in a championship record time of 21.78.
Australian sprint king Kyle Chalmers described Santos’s achievement as “insane”, before declaring him “the GOAT”.
“It’s the last race of my career,” Santos said. “I am getting old and leaving this to the young guys. I leave swimming at 42 years of age. I am really happy and proud.”
Santos first represented Brazil on the international stage at the 2001 World Championships (longcourse). It was at that meet in Fukuoka where Michael Phelps made his first World Championships appearance.
Nicholas Santos of Brazil (middle) receives his gold medal after winning the men’s 50m butterfly at the World Shortcourse Championships.Credit:AP
The swimmer who claimed a silver medal on Wednesday evening in the 50m butterfly, Switzerland’s Noe Ponti, was just six weeks old when Santos dived in for his maiden appearance 21 years ago.
Santos was born in February 1980, three months before Australian long-distance legend Grant Hackett.
Even Ian Thorpe, sitting in the stands during the race as part of commentary duties with Channel Nine, was blown away at the achievement of an athlete two years older than him.
Thorpe said it was his favourite moment of the opening two nights of competition.
“I’ve enjoyed this race the most out of anything yet,” Thorpe said on Nine’s coverage. “It’s an incredible performance, especially considering his age and how long he’s been swimming around in this race. This was a field of huge names.”
Santos said he hoped to eclipse his own world record but fell short by 0.03 of a second.
It mattered little as the Brazilian with a big smile announced his retirement. Santos, swimming’s version of Benjamin Button, enjoyed every moment of his latest victory and so too did the Melbourne crowd.
“I am a four-time world champion in this event and I leave the sport as the world record holder, a Pan-American champion and an Olympian,” Santos said.
“I have travelled to more than 40 countries but tonight was the last event of my career and I want to say a big thank you to World Aquatics.
“I tried to inspire people, including many young kids who have watched me swim.
“I’ve been doing this for 25 years so it is repetition, repetition and resilience. You get pushed all the time. These kids are swimming so fast now.”
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