BRUNO FRATUS

NATIONALITY Brazilian
HOMETOWN Currently living in Coral Springs, Florida
DATE OF BIRTH 30/6/1989
DISCIPLINE Freestyle
CLUB/COLLEGE Coral Springs Swim Club
COACH Brett Hawke / Bruno Darzi
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I’m not big on motivational quotes, but I keep remembering what my dad used to tell me: “those who want something find a way of doing it, those who don’t find an excuse”

BIOGRAPHY

Tattoos reflect the spirit of perseverance and fight in Brazilian Bruno Fratus who won bronze at Tokyo 2020 in his third Olympic 50m freestyle final.

The Roman numerals MMXII just to the left of his heart mean 2012 and a podium missed by 0.02sec in London; below that, MMXVI, or a home Games at Rio 2016, where he finished sixth.

Five years later, Bruno was out-touched only by two Olympic champions, American Caeleb Dressel and France's Florent Manaudou.

After fourth in London, he changed his diet and in 2014, he moved to Auburn to train with Brett Hawke.

The same year he married 2008 Olympian Michelle Lenhart who became his daily coach in 2019.

Her last words before he walked to his blocks in Tokyo were: "Go out there and be happy.”

He did just that and emerged elated.

“It represents hard work, resilience, and perseverance, and that through these values you can achieve anything in life,” said Bruno.

Highest praise is reserved for two special people. “I’m thankful for Michelle being with me every part of the way and thankful for Brett [Hawke]. I am a very lucky person having my best friend and my wife coaching me.”

On his return home to Coral Springs after Tokyo, Bruno received the keys to the city.

Bruno said: “As an immigrant who chose to bring all my hopes, dreams, and hard work to this country, this moment right here, right now, is the real representation of the American dream.

GENERAL QUICK FACTS

Favorite sportsperson or team (other than swimming)
As a Brazilian, Formula 1 racing driver Ayrton Senna is the biggest sports hero I can think of
Favorite vacation spot and why
I like to keep my mind away from sports when I’m resting, so I’d say cook, eat, nap in that exact order
Public person you admire
That’s a hard one. I like having dinner with friends and people I have things in common with. I appreciate the simplicity of those who can’t put fellow human beings on a pedestal like that
Favorite book(s)/author(s)
I remember having a breakthrough experience reading ‘Breaking the Habit of being Yourself’ by Joe Dispenza
Favorite artist or work of art
My good friend Victor Montaghini, seeing his work in person and being able to dig into his thought process is always enlightening
Items you’d want on a desert island
A satellite cell phone, a zippo and a hunting knife
If you could be any character in fiction, who would you be?
Aren’t we all living our own fiction inside our minds?
If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?
I’ll go with a classic: flying!
If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?
‘Relentless: a story of hard work, belief and immortality’
What you’d like to do in your life after swimming
I hope to find enough happiness and excitement somewhere else other than swimming. Just enough so my athletic career becomes something I cherish and not something I constantly miss

SWIMMING QUICK FACTS

Proudest moment in swimming
I consider myself so lucky for being able to be friends with a lot of my heroes. Brave and talented athletes from all over the world. Being congratulated in person by Michael Phelps after winning my first big international race is still one of my favorite moments
Least favorite part of swimming
How our sport still struggles to be taken seriously as a professional sport
Funniest moment in swimming
It’s got to be the world records
Favorite/least favorite training set and why
I love going. It’s hard to get myself excited for slow workouts
Favorite Race/Training suits and why
Carbon Pro Mark II is the fastest race suit ever produced. And Icon briefs for training, just timeless and classy
Best piece of equipment and why
A combination of fins and snorkel
Favorite Food after training
Any breakfast food. Just not sugary cereals, these will give you diabetes
Most annoying type of swimmer
I’ve been reading articles about something called “toxic positivity” and it seems to be a real thing, so I might go with this
Favorite Pool in the world and why
The Foro Italico in Rome and the Duna Arena in Budapest are two swimming pools that encourage the highest level of performance. One for its ambience and the other one for its technical aspects

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

2020 OLYMPIC GAMES, TOKYO
BRONZE 50m Freestyle
2019 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, GWANGJU
SILVER 50m Freestyle
2019 PAN-AMERICAN GAMES, LIMA
GOLD 50m Freestyle
GOLD 4x100m Freestyle Relay
2017 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, BUDAPEST
SILVER 50m Freestyle
SILVER 4x100m Freestyle
2015 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, KAZAN
BRONZE 50m Freestyle
2015 PAN-AMERICAN GAMES, TORONTO
GOLD 4x100m Freestyle Relay
SILVER 50m Freestyle
2014 PAN-PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS, GOLD COAST
GOLD 50m Freestyle
BRONZE 4x100m Freestyle Relay
2014 SOUTH AMERICAN GAMES, SANTIAGO
GOLD 50m Freestyle
2012 SOUTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS, BELEM
SILVER 50m Freestyle
SILVER 100m Freestyle
2011 PAN-AMERICAN GAMES, GUADALAJARA
GOLD 4x100m Freestyle Relay
GOLD 4x100m Medley Relay
SILVER 50m Freestyle

INSIDE BRUNO’S BAG

Team Stripe Brief
Iconic Brief
Powerfin Pro
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