“I am here in Brazil quarantined at home,” Lima said in a phone interview.
On the postponement of the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games to 2021, he acknowledged that it was the right decision. “Postponing the Olympics to next year was a good idea because most of the athletes in the world can’t train right now,” he said, and he is optimistic about things getting better for the swimming world in the near future.
At the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju, Lima won the silver medal in the men’s 50 meter breaststroke race, and at the 2019 Pan American Games, Lima won the silver medal as part of the 4×100 meter medley Brazilian relay team. “That was great,” he said.
He was also happy about the implementation of the ISL Solidarity Program, and how it is there to help athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking of the ISL, he is excited to have signed with the Energy Standard swimming team. “It was a hard decision for me, but I decided to switch teams for this year,” he said. “This is a big step for me. I am setting new goals for myself for new achievements.”
He praised Energy Standard for being a “great team.” “I think Energy Standard will be stronger this year. The athletes are very committed and I think they will do an even better job this year,” he said, and he complimented the leadership of Head Coach James Gibson. “James is a nice guy,” he said. “James also works with the Brazilian coach Dellano Silva.”
In his personal life, he just turned 35 years old on April 5. “That’s great,” he admitted.
To learn more about Olympic swimmer Felipe Lima, follow him on Instagram and on Twitter.
