By Braden Keith on SwimSwam
2026 AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Monday, April 6th – Wednesday, April 8th Gold Coast Aquatic Centre, Southport, Queensland, Australia Prelims M 9am local (7pm ET previous night)/Finals at 6pm local (4am ET) LCM (50m) SwimSwam Preview #1 SwimSwam Preview #2 Meet Central Start List Day 1 Recap Day 2 Recap Live Results Livestream (Aussie only or use VPN)Brazilian Maria Fernanda Costa showed the fruits of her new Australia training base this week at the Australian Open, setting a new South American Record.
She finished 2nd in the 800 free on Monday in 8:23.98, about 12 seconds behind the winner Lani Pallister (8:11.28). That smashes her own Brazilian Record of 8:28.92 set at the 2024 Brazilian Olympic Trials. It also breaks the South American Record of 8:24.33 set by Argentina’s Delfina Pignatiello in June of 2019 at the Canet, France stop of the Mare Nostrum Series.
Costa has been training in Australia since May 2025. She was initially part of Dean Boxall‘s super group at St. Peters Western, and more recently at Rackley under Damien Jones.
Her former coach from Brazil Fernando Possenti moved to Australia in January 2025 and is now the head coach of Australia’s Open Water National Team.
In a distance discipline where Brazil has historically not been very good, especially on the women’s side, she is now the 63rd-fastest performer in history.
Splits Comparison
Maria F. Costa Maria F. Costa Delfina Pignatello New Brazil/SA Record Former Brazil Record Former SA Record 100m 60.13 60.13 62.14 200m 63.52 63.59 64.09 300m 64.08 64.65 63.84 400m 63.47 65.01 64.1 500m 62.97 64.37 63.03 600m 64.44 64.79 63.64 700m 63.79 64.05 63.26 800m 61.58 62.33 60.23 Total Time 8:23.98 8:28.92 8:24.33Costa’s splitting was a bit erratic in her new best time, but that’s not unexpected when a swimmer drops this much time in a race – needing to understand their pacing and their current conditioning a little better.
Costa, 23, won three silver medals at the 2023 Pan American Games in the 200 and 400 freestyles individually and the 800 free relay. She has represented Brazil in multiple World Championship meets, including the 2024 World Short Course Championships where she finished 4th in the 400 free and 5th in the 200 free.
She also represented Brazil at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where she finished 7th in the 400 free. She was the first Brazilian woman to make the final in the 400 free since 1948.
Costa has generally focused on the 200 and 400 freestyles in her career, so this 800 is a bit of a stretch race for her.
In long course, she holds Brazilian Records in the 200, 400, and 800 freestyles, plus as the fastest leg of the record-holding 800 free relay. In short course meters, she holds records in the 200 and 400 free individually plus again the 800 free relay.
Those same seven swims are all now South American Records as well.
On Tuesday, Costa finished 3rd in the 400 free in 4:03.41, which is just shy of her own Brazilian Record of 4:02.86. She is also scheduled to race the 200 free on Wednesday.
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