By Braden Keith on SwimSwam
A pair of Olympians and looming figures of Brazilian swimming have announced their retirements from competitive swimming – abeit with different degrees of permanence. Sprinter Marcelo Chierighini and butterflier Kayky Mota have both called time-out on their elite swimming careers.
Chierighini, 35, was a pivotal part of Brazil’s elite and deep sprint freestyle crew in the 2010s that was one of the best in the world. He represented the country at three straight Olympic Games in 2012, 2016, and 2021. Mostly a relay swimmer, his lone individual swim came in 2016, when he placed 8th in the 100 free.
“A lot of doubts came up, but I decided it was better to stop while I’m still in a good phase rather than keep going just to ‘drag it along.'” Chierighini said of his decision before going on to thank all of the clubs he’s trained for.
“I say goodbye with a mix of emotions—sad to close such a long, challenging, and rewarding chapter, but also relieved and very excited to face life’s new challenges as a ‘normal person.’
He has a number of major and minor international medals to his name. In 2017, he swam the fastest split (46.85 on the 2nd leg) of Brazil’s silver medal winning men’s 400 free relay, which placed just .28 seconds behind the USA.
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Other results on his record include a pair of Short Course World Championship medals in the 400 free relay in 2010 and 2018, a Pan Pacs gold medal in 2018 on the 400 free relay, and six Pan Am Games gold medals – including the 100 free individually in 2019 where he beat, among others, five-time Olympic champion Nathan Adrian.
He was also a top performer in NCAA swimming at Auburn. There he was named the 2013 SEC Swimmer of the Year and was a two-time NCAA Champion in relays. He also finished 2nd in the 100 free as a senior, 2nd in the 50 and 100 free as a junior, and 2nd in the 100 free as a sophomore.
Mota, 26, made his Olympic debut in 2024, finishing 22nd in the 100 fly. In 2025, he won the 100 fly at the World Championship Trials, but came up four-hundredths shy of the World Aquatics “A” standard.
Mota also swam collegiately in the United States at the University of Tennessee, where he was a three-time All-American.
He is describing his announcement as a “pause” from competitive swimming to focus on his mental health.
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“I grew up in a swimming pool.
I dreamed, cried, won, lost, and matured there.
Swimming shaped me as an athlete, but more importantly, as a man.
Today, I choose to take a pause from competitive swimming. Not because I’ve stopped loving it, but because I need to rebuild myself.
I need to take care of my mental health and focus on other projects.
This is not goodbye. It’s a see you later.
The love for the sport is still here, but this pause is necessary.
Thank you to everyone who has been part of my journey so far.
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