2016 RIO OLYMPIC GAMES
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Swimming: August 6-13
- Olympic Aquatics Stadium, Barra Olympic Park, Rio de Janeiro
- Prelims – 9:00 a.m/12:00 p.m PST/EST (1:00 p.m local), Finals – 6:00 p.m/9:00 p.m PST/EST (10:00 p.m local)
- SwimSwam previews
- Rio Schedule & Results
- Live Stream (NBC)
At 32, Puerto Rico’s Vanessa Garcia broke her own 50 free national record this morning in the prelims, breaking 25 seconds for the first time in 24.94. That swim breaks her previous record of 25.07, set in her native country back in June of 2015.
This is Garcia’s only event in Rio, and she is the only Puerto Rican swimmer here. Male swimmer Erik Risolvato was slated to swim the 50 free here in Rio as well, but had his credentials removed by FINA just before the Games and went to compete at the U.S. Open instead.
Garcia’s swim came close, but ultimately just missed the semi-finals, falling 12 one-hundredths shy. She finished 22nd overall.
This is Garcia’s fourth straight Olympics, also competing in Athens, Beijing and London. She won two Pan American Games medals back in 2007, taking silver in the 50 free and bronze in the 100 free. They were Puerto Rico’s only swimming medals of the Games.
Congratulations!!! Amazing to still be posting PBs at this stage of the game. Boricua Pride I’m sure. Hopefully she will inspire more on the island to take up the sport. It amazes me daily that it’s not more popular here – a fantastic setting for training.